Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 60 All Fear Stems from Insufficient Firepower

As night approached, the army assembled in the darkness, silently mounting their warhorses and donning their armor.

The entire camp was quiet, with only the sound of the wind.

The Kingdom's mage corps, in coordination with the rogue hero, employed camouflage and stealth techniques, and from the hill fortress, the various camps were still fast asleep.

【Concealment (Level 2, Special Magic): When the enemy observes your troops, they will be misled by the special scene you set up, and all sounds of the camp will be concealed.】

Review: An essential skill for surprise attacks; you'll know how good it is once you use it!

Such a large army could not be completely concealed by just one or two heroes; it took more than a dozen mages to achieve complete concealment.

In fact, tens of thousands of troops have already assembled and are just waiting for the marshal to give the order so that the various corps can be mobilized.

As the first rays of dawn shone, the knights raised their lances to the center of their foreheads and then swung them with all their might!
"Come on!"

Conrad led the charge, bathed in the warm red of dawn, chasing the desolate darkness. His body blazed with flames, unleashing fearlessness and an iron torrent, leading the Royal Knights and the Fourth and Fifth Orders in a charge towards the hilltop command post!

Their objective was the most arduous: a forested front line directly facing the enemy. Lloyd had set up his forward command post there, where the most formidable army of the Isidore Empire was assembled.

Despite having four knightly orders and a total of a thousand knights, the fearless knights had no intention of returning alive after facing the enemy's command post.

When the knights charged, the earth trembled, and even the mountains shook.

At this point, no amount of concealment would help; the defending soldiers on the hill fortress immediately rang the alarm bell, warning that war was imminent.

"Thump! Thump! Thump thump thump!"

The alarm bells of the spreading curse resounded throughout the mountains, and the bastion legions of each camp mobilized and rushed to the defensive fortress. The flow of people was like streams, converging on the city wall and forming a tight seal.

At the highest point of the command post, Lloyd had already stood on the lookout tower, looking down at the Knights below.

He rested on the city wall every night, so when he was woken up, he went straight to the command post, wasting almost no time.

Although the Knights were already close at hand, the sheer force of their charge even made the towering trees tremble.

Lloyd didn't care much. He looked around the battlefield and saw the Crusaders and flying griffins charging toward the solid fortress in the middle; the northern halberdiers and archers formed squares and advanced toward the northern highlands, so densely packed that it was impossible to see how many there were; even the enemy's Light Priests were mobilizing forward, and once they reached range, they would unleash devastating magical attacks through prayer and incantations.

The entire battlefield was swarming with enemies, and their morale was high, making the situation very troublesome.

"Marshal, it was my dereliction of duty. I failed to detect that the Kingdom of Elton was launching a general offensive at this time, and the alarm was too late!"

The reconnaissance team leader knelt on one knee, requesting punishment.

Lloyd waved his hand: "Raven has fought all his life, he must have some talented people under his command. It is indeed not easy to hide tens of thousands of people, but it is not impossible."

Besides, it's only a few dozen seconds late. I want to see how his troops handle the hill fortress!

During these days of stalemate, Lloyd has not been idle. He has transferred a large number of slaves from the rear to build a defensive fortress to defend against attacks from the mountains.

The dwarves' fortification skills are undoubtedly superb, but unfortunately, they haven't had enough time to connect the fortifications into a single structure, and some areas lack magical reinforcement. Otherwise, even with a larger army, Raven wouldn't have been able to take this place.

Isildur's army could then be stationed on the hills, allowing them to attack or defend as they pleased, and they would be able to keep a watchful eye on the Hillin Plain. That would be the truly unsolvable situation.

"such a pity!"

Lloyd shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought. Raven had definitely seen through his intentions; hesitation was not in his nature, and a major battle was inevitable between them.

Although the fortifications were not fully completed, they still formed a formidable defensive line, perhaps posing little threat to knights or flying units. But what about those halberdiers? Were they expected to scale the dozens of meters high walls and fight their way in?
dream!

"Pass down the order: have Isabel lead the Holy Unicorn Legion and the Rainbow Unicorn Legion to circle around from behind the mountains and forests and attack the enemy's knights!"

The fifth, seventh, and tenth legions of the Wildwood Elves are advancing towards the northern highlands. If the mountain ladders are impassable, climb them! Even if they're separated by city walls, fire outwards! The High Elf guard towers are firing at full power, aiming at the enemy gryphon troops, filling the sky with a rain of arrows!

The first, third, and sixteenth legions of the Silver Pegasus, when taking to the air, must keep the griffins at the city walls and prevent them from getting close to ranged units.

The centaur army mobilized its entire force, charging out of the gate and delivering a heavy blow to the Crusaders.

The dwarven legion put down their tools, raised their hammers, and blocked the fortress, not letting a single one in.

Mangrove warriors, follow in my footsteps, let us clash with the Knights!

Through the magical connection, Lloyd sent orders to the commanders of each legion, and Isildur's war machine was instantly activated, filling the entire hilly defense area.

Within moments of his command, the fearless knights charged forward. The mangrove warriors, arm in arm, formed a defensive line stretching for miles.

【Red Tree Warrior (Barrier Level 5 Tier 2 Unit, Fire Element Baptism): Attack 9 (22), Defense 14 (30), Damage 10-14, Health 80 (85), Speed ​​4, Huge Size.

Element: Fire (Units gain +30% resistance to fire magic), attacks have a chance to inflict fire burns.

Flaming Roots: Enemies attacked or touched by Redwood Warriors have a chance to be entangled by Flaming Roots, unable to move and continuously taking damage (unless the Redwood Warrior leaves its position or is defeated).

With their fearless spirit and fiery steel, the knights charged fiercely and surgingly. However, the redwood warriors had extra resistance to fire. Although they could not be immune to lance attacks, they managed to block a significant amount of the subsequent cone-shaped splash damage.

Moreover, they have a skill that is very effective against Conrad's cavalry: once the endless wall of trees is touched, there is a chance that it will unleash the Fiery Roots, which will entangle the rapidly running knight and make it impossible for him to launch another attack.

Of course, the fearless knights' charge was no joke; upon first contact, flames spewed forth. Three lines of defense crumbled in succession, leaving behind shattered tree trunks and splintered wood, the earth ablaze with fire, seemingly unstoppable.

However, some knights were caught in the trap and became entangled in place. They were met with countless giant trees striking them, and surrounded, they didn't even have a chance to fight back. They were killed on the spot.

As Conrad led his cavalry through the Redwood Warriors' lines, he looked back and saw Lloyd entangled in tree roots, pinning down several members of the Iron Knights.

"Paji!"

The tree root slammed down, smashing the knight's head to pieces.

"You think you can break through my command post? Don't even think about it!"

If Conrad wasn't mistaken, the opponent had a defense stat of 16, along with advanced defense skills and the redwood unit's special ability. Considering the enemy's unit health and the strength of their hero, it was indeed quite terrifying.

However, the Knights were not without their achievements. The first wave of attack was often the most intense, and at least 2000 Red Tree Warriors died.

Despite the deaths of so many tree-men, Lloyd's Redwood Legion was still able to maintain several battle lines.

"In that case, let's go for another push!"

Conrad led his knights to turn their horses around and charge once more against the Redwood Legion!

Without hesitation, the knight leaped into the sea of ​​fire and charged straight at the enemy general.

Both sides actually used a lot of magic, but since the Dauntless Knights were unaffected by the slow effect, Conrad didn't even cast any debuff spells. He only used defensive spells like Stone Skin and Divine Shield, and didn't even use any damaging spells. In such a massive battle, the damage from a hero's spellcasting was negligible, especially against knights.

The advanced earth elemental provides excellent protection; otherwise, the mangrove warriors, being level 5 units, would have suffered far more than just this one death.

The second charge covered a significantly shorter distance and was less lethal. However, the Red Tree Warriors' defenses also showed weaknesses, and fewer knights were pinned down.

In this battle, over 1000 Red Tree Warriors died, but a hundred knights were successfully saved.

The knight, caught in a stalemate, raised his lance to fight back, severing countless roots.

Ignoring the casualties among the redwoods, Lloyd shifted his gaze to the rear, where a legion of pure white unicorns charged down from the mountaintop jungle, surrounding and successfully encircling Conrad's knights. Looking around, there were over 900 unicorns, their noble heads raised, ready to avenge their previous defeat.

The knight's mobility is too great; he must be restrained by bait before being surrounded and attacked.

Lloyd used himself as bait, so that even if the other party knew it was a trap, they would still fall into it.

"Conrad, your knighthood ends here!"

In response, the knights unleashed a furious charge!

The battlefield was so vast that chaos ensued. Magic and weapons were everywhere, and merciless spells were reaping the lives of soldiers, with hundreds and thousands dying every second.

The halberdiers to the north weren't moving very fast; they had only just approached the high ground. The fortifications here weren't yet complete, but one advantage was that they weren't blocked outside the walls. The halberdiers could slip through gaps in the defensive lines and engage in small-scale battles.

However, the wood elves' arrows soon rained down, and the 500-man halberdier formation was instantly turned into mincemeat, without even a chance to scream.

"Charge! Charge in! Take the high ground!"

Sharpshooter's long-range suppression!

The young stag's Garn Amirka raised his arms and shouted, instantly boosting the morale of the halberdiers, who charged up the hillside with all their might, moving twice as fast as usual.

As for divine skills like Swift Acceleration and Holy Spirit Blessing, casting them is basically useless. On average, an exorcism spell is cast on the northern battlefield every half minute. It may not cover all legions, but the frequency is overwhelming. As a result, no buff spells are effective, and the only option is to tough it out.

At this stage, morale and luck become more useful. As a double knight of advanced leadership and advanced luck, Garen is most adept at commanding this valley army.

The great elves, who had just climbed onto the city wall, found that the halberdiers were approaching. After managing to fire two arrows, they were forced to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the halberdiers and were immediately at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, dwarves came to support them along the city walls and trenches; otherwise, the North Highlands would have been in a very passive position.

The northern part of this area is a high ground, but the defensive line is too long, making it the place where large-scale battles can take place, and both sides have committed the most troops.

Halberdiers, dwarves, archers, and sharpshooters were locked in a chaotic battle on the high ground.

At this point, the heroes of the valley could only command one or two square formations for hand-to-hand combat. Any additional troops were completely immobilized and could only engage the nearest enemy.

Countless spells bombarded them, arrows flew everywhere, and normally strong soldiers fell like wheat.

Chaos is the battleground on the high ground.

But the most crucial battlefield was when Quen's crusaders blocked the gates of the hill fortress and killed the centaur leader who was leaving the city.

With a series of swift strikes, none could withstand a single blow. Even with enemies as numerous as hairs on a cow, they could not stop their advance; the Cold Iron Crusaders were about to reach the city walls.

This place is the core area connecting many hills, forged by the dwarves like an iron fortress. From here, the central army can rely on the mountain stone paths to reach the high slopes above and descend into the wooded battle line below, essentially making it the heart of the enemy's defensive system.

Isabel just led the unicorns down the mountain through this very passage. As long as the fortress walls stand, they will still possess the overall defensive capability and extremely strong mobilization ability.

Therefore, the most crucial task assigned to these crusaders was to cooperate with the griffons in capturing the hill fortress.

As they approached the fortress, they could only look up at the sky; the solid stone walls, combined with the towering mountains and steep cliffs, offered no gaps whatsoever. How could they possibly fight this on foot?
"These sons of bitches dwarves have some skill in building such a good city wall!"

Quinn was helpless against the city walls before him, but he trusted Marshal Raven and simply continued to advance, slaying the centaur legion.

At the rear of the battle formation, Dylan was conducting a final inspection of the catapults. A total of fifteen catapults were placed here, without many heavy boulders inside.

On the contrary, using only a stone the size of a millstone to try to destroy the fortress built by the dwarves would be like throwing an egg against a rock.

Dylan didn't care at all, because there were very few people in this world who truly understood ballistics.

He moved aside the wooden frame, revealing a unique inscription on the boulder that recorded a powerful earth elemental magic.

Earthquake (Level 3 Magic, Earth): Randomly destroys multiple sections of city walls, affected by Earth Element Mastery level.

Advanced Earth Elemental Mastery: Destroy four city walls.

If only a hero casts this spell, it would be impossible to damage the dwarfs' walls without more than a dozen high-level earth elementalists proficient in it.

But Dylan is an exception.

【迪兰（铸造师）：攻击5，防御4，咒力6（8），知识8（13）

Elemental Fire.

Advanced Spellball Trajectory: Uses spell power to control multiple catapults to attack targets, increasing the number of attacks, damage, and accuracy. It can also learn special magical elemental stone projectiles.

Intermediate Forging: You can personally forge suitable weapons of war and various treasures (no higher than level 3, requiring more materials).

Intermediate Intelligence: Increases the hero's maximum mana by 50%.

Intermediate Magic: Increases the damage of attack spells by 10%. Affected by your class, the equipment you create will have special effects.

Advanced Earth Element Mastery, Advanced Fire Element Mastery.

【Elemental Stone Projectile (Special Magic): Attaches expensive elemental scrolls to stones. When using a catapult, the magic scroll is triggered and is boosted by magic power. Magic cost increases by 15 for each additional catapult.】

Comment: All fear stems from insufficient firepower!

Operating these fifteen catapults would require a massive amount of magic points. But Dylan happens to possess the corresponding skill, allowing him to use it all at once.

Each catapult launched not only boulders, but also a powerful earth magic spell amplified by magic power—Earthquake.

As for these precious scrolls, they were provided by the wealthy mages of the Magic Guild, and he was only responsible for throwing them away! So he didn't feel the slightest bit heartache.

Dylan floated off the ground, used his arms to aim, calculated the distance between them, then stretched his arms back and swung them forward.

Suddenly, 15 giant rocks hurtled towards the hill fortress with the force of a whirlwind.

These tiny stones were naturally ignored in the face of such a massive defensive structure.

But the moment they land.

"Boom, boom!"

The world fell silent.

All the troops fighting on the battlefield were forced to stop because they could barely stand, let alone fight.

Whether it was the charging cavalry, the guards forming a wall of fire trees, or the troops fighting in a melee on the high slope, they all looked towards the center.

The majestic hill fortress that was standing there a moment ago has vanished without a trace.

Countless boulders, like an avalanche, hurtled downwards, engulfing the dwarves who were unable to escape.

Describe this stone-throwing incident in one sentence.

"The mountain has collapsed!"

(End of this chapter)