Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 43 Confrontation
The hills of Luxembourg and the Twin Hills were covered in wild grass, burned away by flames, leaving the dark earth extremely oppressive.

It's unclear which fire-type hero cast a spell, igniting the dry grass and causing the fire to spread, burning the area between the two sides to ashes.

It's most likely from the human side, because the Barriers have an even greater affinity for plants.

This warning even seems to be reminding the Barrier of the Fal Forest, where their attempt to steal a chicken backfired, resulting in a truly embarrassing situation.

Isabel walked across the mountains and surveyed the landscape before saying, "Humans are trying to force you to attack first!"

Lloyd, of course, wouldn't get angry over such a small matter: "Unless they burn down their own camp, I won't make any rash moves."

Isabel continued, "Ivo sent men, saying that they had breached a valley city and captured a large number of human slaves."

He also recruited some bandits and outlaws, but their fighting strength was temporarily weak.

Lloyd thought for a moment: "Have Ivo release the prisoners from the jail, form a band of outlaws, find those who are usually oppressed by nobles, promote them, and conquer cities!"
As for what they can gain, that depends on what they can get themselves!

Isabel gave the old marshal a deep look: "In this way, human towns will probably become even more hell on earth, and the seeds of hatred will spread everywhere, but it can also help us build up a force."

You're different now than before the war!

"This is a racial war, it's a matter of life or death. Ivo is too merciful. Without winning this battle, there's no point in talking about governance."

Moreover, we need those humans who would strip away our bones, slaughter their own kind, and kneel before us, not those humans with ideas and abilities.

Isabel remained noncommittal; she had never held a good attitude towards humans, but she would get angry if they polluted nature!
"I'll lead a holy legion to probe the true strength of the human race! To see if they still possess the foundation of their thousand-year-old kingdom."

This time, Lloyd didn't stop them. Although a large army was arrayed nearby, they couldn't be facing each other every day. Instead of letting the humans provoke them, it was better to select an elite legion for a small-scale trial, no more than a hundred men.

This is an ancient tradition. After all, the power of the extraordinary legions is earth-shattering, so it is a good choice to let the vanguard take the lead.

Of course, if the opponent performs poorly and suffers a crushing defeat, Lloyd might even choose to launch a full-scale attack to annihilate them.

In war, courage is paramount!

This is no exaggeration.

Isabel smiled faintly, her body leaping into the air as she whistled.

Suddenly, a rainbow archway appeared in the mountains, and the unicorn slowly walked out. With each step, green grass grew under its feet, which were both messengers of nature and symbols of holiness.

【Holy Unicorn (Barrier Level 6 Tier 2 Unit, Air/Water Dual Element): Attack 19 (?), Defense 18 (?), Damage 18-22, Health 130, Speed ​​10, Medium Size.

Element: Air/Water (Hero mana cost * 4).

Natural Brilliance: Attacks have a chance to blind enemies, and even after the vision is restored, it will be reduced to some extent (reduced ranged attack range, reduced melee movement ability).
Magic Immunity Grace: Increases the magic resistance of nearby allies and can remove the first magic debuff.

Atmospheric Sensing: Doubles the user's amplification of air magic, and deals additional fixed damage equal to 0.5 times the hero's spell power when attacking enemies. (The hero in command must possess Advanced Air Magic Mastery).

Water Elemental Crystal: Doubles the user's affinity for water magic and doubles healing effects (the hero must possess Advanced Water Magic Mastery to control this character).

Isabel landed on the unicorn's back, her little feet hidden in the white fur, and confidently looked at the human army.

In an era when angels and golden dragons were absent, she was confident that the holy unicorn was the only king!

On the human side, it was naturally discovered that Isildur had requested an elite duel.

Raven wanted to send a force to teach the enemy a lesson, but his face turned grim when he saw the enemy commander and her holy unicorn.

Such a duel naturally requires the strongest legions and heroes to participate. Winning would certainly boost morale, but losing would be difficult to recover from.

The Isidore Empire has ruled for millennia, and even without the Golden Dragon, it possesses extremely powerful level 6 troops with dual elemental baptism, making it virtually invincible.

Seeing the marshal's expression, someone suggested, "The enemy's strength is too great; perhaps we should temporarily retreat?"

Just as Raven was about to agree, he heard the neighing of horses from the central army. Conrad spurred his horse and looked at the marshal.

The two exchanged a glance, and Raven understood his meaning, so he didn't stop him.

"It's worth a try. If you don't even have the courage to fight, then it's no different from losing."

The knight commander, having received instructions, raised his lance to his eyes and then swung it fiercely forward, compressing the air into a tornado. The riders behind him followed him in a charge.

Isabel gazed at the Kingdom Sword from afar and began to apply Swift Acceleration to all the Holy Unicorns. Due to atmospheric sensing, the unicorns gained double the speed, and even had clouds swirling around their feet.

She didn't rush to send her troops to attack first. After all, this was a front-line challenge that could easily escalate into a full-scale battle. A unicorn charging in its current form would likely be far more powerful than the opposing knights, and it wouldn't be good if it got too close to the Elton Kingdom's camp and got ambushed from a distance.

"Look at these poor horses, they can only run this fast even when they're running for their lives!"

The unicorns lightly lifted their hooves, leisurely watching the running knights, showing no sign of panic. If they wanted, they could catch up with the knights much faster.

With a hundred horses galloping and the mountains shaking, Conrad hadn't used any magic even after charging halfway through the journey. He seemed prepared to just charge straight through, using the knight's charge ability to wipe out the enemy.

Isabel looked at the scene and chuckled, thinking the other person was a bit too young.

So she waved her hand, and the unicorn began to move, instantly rushing in like a tidal wave.

Due to the increased speed and agility, Isabel began to use her second magic.

【Blindness (Enhanced by Advanced Fire Magic): Blindness targets an enemy unit; the duration of the effect is affected by the spell's power. The effect is restored upon being attacked; the user will not retaliate.】

Commentary: Mind magic; blindness in the eyes, yet the eye of the heart!

"Do you really think I only know the air and water systems? That's a gross oversimplification."

Isabel naturally recognized that Conrad was a master of advanced fire magic. In that case, she decided to defeat him at his strongest point, a testament to the confidence of an all-elemental master of the Empire.

"Aren't the knights supposed to be fast? Let's see how the blind man charges!"

All the knights were plunged into darkness. All around them was pitch black; they couldn't see the road ahead, or even their own comrades. They could only hear the faint sound of horses' hooves, making it impossible to distinguish friend from foe. In such a state, how could they possibly charge? They could only remain rooted to the spot.

Or is there another solution, such as exorcism?

But facing the enemy's mastery of fire and the influence of overwhelming magical power, is Conrad confident he can dispel it?

The knight commander also couldn't see the road ahead, so he simply closed his eyes and used the swaying of his lance in the wind to determine the enemy's direction.

"are you crazy?"

Isabel was completely bewildered by what she saw. She immediately ordered the unicorn to move aside, clearing the way for the knights' charge.

Just when she thought her plan had succeeded, the Knight Commander changed direction and pointed directly at the Holy Unicorn.

"how is this possible?"

"He's clearly blind!"

Isabel was stunned into place, even the bewitching spell she had prepared to use in her magic book vanished.

She carefully observed the group of madmen and finally noticed something strange.

【Iron Knight (Castle Level 6 Tier 2 Unit, Fire Element Baptism): Attack 17 (30), Defense 18 (28), Damage 20-25, Health 120, Speed ​​10, Medium Size.

Element: Fire.

Charge: Damage increases with distance traveled.

Flame Steel: After reaching a certain charging distance, the lance is infused with fire damage, and attacks will explode and splash (in a cone-shaped area).

Steel Torrent: After charging and attacking the enemy, cavalry will advance a distance and receive 50% less damage from enemy counterattacks.

Fearless Heart (Temporary Magical Attachment): After initiating a charge, you are unaffected by any debuffs until you hit an enemy.

This is a special magic unique to knights! No wonder Conrad didn't use any defensive measures when he entered the fray; it was completely unnecessary. The magic was only applied after he charged a certain distance.

With lances pointing, we charge forward!

Isabel discovered the enemy's plot, but unfortunately it was too late.

In the instant the Iron Knight clashed with the Holy Unicorn, the earth sank and the sky collapsed, dust flew everywhere, and countless explosions resounded through the heavens.

What seemed like a long time actually lasted only a few dozen seconds before the two separated.

Thanks to the effect of the steel torrent, the knights advanced a considerable distance. Isabel, disregarding everything else, immediately began using advanced water-based healing to treat the unicorns scorched by the liquid steel.

The wide-range explosive damage, coupled with the high boost from the charge and Conrad's advanced Fiery Holy Sword, meant that even if the Holy Unicorn had extremely high health, it would be instantly killed if targeted by several knights at the same time, with no time to provide any assistance.

Although the unicorn launched a fierce counterattack, it was completely countered, and the Fearless Knight still had the upper hand.

[Holy Unicorn - 35, Fearless Knight - 14]

In this round, the fearless will prevail!

Of course, Isabel refused to admit defeat. With her swift acceleration and the ability to instantly recover full health after being healed, the unicorn launched a counterattack, closing in on the group of reckless knights.

Due to the unicorn's counterattack, the remaining knights were more or less injured, but Conrad still raised his lance and launched another fearless charge.

Even if they are injured, they cannot stop, otherwise, if they try to outlast the Holy Unicorn, they will surely perish.

Before they could even charge, the unicorns were already in front of the knights, and those knights who failed to charge were forever lost in darkness.

"Boom!"

The steel body weaved between the unicorns, widening the distance once again.

[Fearless Knight - 28, Holy Unicorn - 15]

Having lost their charging range, the knights' damage output decreased significantly, and they could only rely on splash damage to besiege the unicorns in the center area; otherwise, if they survived, all their efforts would be in vain.

They separated again, and Isabel and Conrad stared at each other, their eyes blazing with fury.

Isabel, in particular, thought that with her mastery of the four elements and the Holy Unicorn, she would be invincible. However, she suffered losses in the two rounds of battles, which angered her so much that she once again urged her legion to seek revenge.

Unfortunately, Conrad didn't fall for her trick. At this distance, another charge would lose its initial momentum and become somewhat unnecessary.

Elite duels don't have to be a fight to the death; the goal is to achieve results. He's a fearless knight, not a mindless one. The strength of cavalry lies in their high mobility; there's no need to engage in a life-or-death struggle with the enemy.

Conrad then led his troops in retreat, intending to return to their camp first.

Seeing this, Isabel was furious and simply unleashed a fire-based area-of-effect spell to teach Conrad a lesson.

But with both armies positioned on the flanks, Raven wasn't about to suffer such a loss. The human priests cast fire spells, creating a perfect barrier around the approaching armies, preventing Isabel from breaking through.

"You coward, running away like that? Where is your chivalry?"

"You old hag, stop pretending to be young! Only a unicorn could tolerate your stinky feet. They'd be stinking to high heaven by now. Go back and wash your feet after you've been defeated! Stop loitering around here!"

The two sides went from actual combat to a war of words, hurling the most offensive insults at each other.

However, the battle losses were real, and the human army gained the upper hand.

The overwhelming cheers of "Victory is inevitable" spread throughout the army, finally dispelling some of the gloom that had hung over them for the past few days.

(End of this chapter)