Heroes of Might and Magic: Grand Consul

Chapter 98 Glacier Freezing
"Damn it! You lowly, cowardly human."

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, lashes of thorn whips lashed heavily across Kyle's back, yet he dared not utter a sound.

"Hirel bravely sacrificed himself for his country, why did you desert in the face of battle? I will bury you in the earth to nourish the giant trees!"

Levin Anderson gently raised his hand, and a patch of quicksand appeared on the ground. Kyle sank into it and was quickly submerged up to his neck.

At this point, Kyle had no choice but to speak: "I came back not out of fear of battle, but to report important military intelligence. It seems that Sumu has a squad of ranged archers with stealth capabilities, whose power is extremely strong. A single volley of arrows can kill more than 500 centaur hunters, and their range is not affected by the reduction in range."

Although we fell for his trick and suffered a crushing defeat, his ability to control ranged units is simply too formidable; you cannot afford to underestimate him, sir!

After saying this, the quicksand had already reached Kyle's nose, and he could only swallow hard before disappearing completely.

Ivo was right next to Levin, and he gradually showed a thoughtful expression.

About ten minutes later, Ivo spoke up: "Elder Levin, let's spare his life. We need a vanguard for this northward journey, so let's give him another chance. If he dares to run away again, then drown him in the river."

Levin then lightly touched the ground with his staff, and the quicksand swirled like a vortex, revealing the mud figure at the center.

Kyle's mouth, nasal cavity, and eyes were full of mud and sand. The moment he came into contact with the air, he expelled the obstruction and took a deep breath.

“Hu…Hu!”

"Aren't you going to thank the Child of the Forest for pleading for you? If there's a next time, you're dead for sure!"

Kyle, without even taking a breath of fresh air, prostrated himself on the ground, kissed Ivo's shoes, and thanked him for his forgiveness.

"You said Lord Kuraki has powerful archery skills, capable of killing over 500 centaur hunters in a single attack, without the help of halberdiers or griffins?"

Kyle, panting, replied, "Su Mu isn't that powerful, but he has a hero who directly wields the Earth Bow, whose output is astonishing. Even Iron Man can't withstand their rapid-fire. Moreover, this army is baptized by earth elementals, making them immune to slowing magic and able to create a swamp debuff at the target location. Overall, they are very strong."

This was confirmed by the defeated soldiers, and Hirel also left a letter before his campaign, warning that Sumu was a threat to Isildur and that if he were to gather more archers, he would be difficult to deal with and must be eliminated as soon as possible.

Kyle might exaggerate the enemy's strength because of his defeat, but if so many people say the other side is powerful, then it's basically true.

"It seems the Kingdom of Elton also has a war hero that comes along only once in a century!"

Levin waved his hand dismissively: "They're just a bunch of archers baptized by the elements. Sirel's skills are lacking. If he had mastered the atmospheric shield, no matter how high the opponent's firepower was, he could still use his centaur to rush up to the archers and engage in melee combat."

Besides, Tier 2 units have low health; if I were to personally intervene, a few waves of Meteor Shower would wipe them all out, making them nothing to fear.

As a high-level earth-elemental master, Levin certainly has the right to say that. But from another perspective, the fact that Su Mu needs Levin to take action personally speaks volumes about the threat he poses.

"This person is indeed a threat. If I have the chance, I will deal with him myself!"

Ivo has already put Sumu on the list. Although he is not the highest priority, it is already quite impressive that a minor baron can gain his attention.

Just then, a scout rushed in: "My lord, new ships have arrived on the river and are steadily approaching the city. We expect them to launch an attack soon!"

Ivo, however, was not flustered. He approached Levin and asked in a low voice, "When will that person arrive?"

Levin's expression tightened: "To perform a high-level hero teleportation on Elton's territory, the resources required are barely enough, but the life energy is still lacking."

Thanks to the boundary stones, although they have occupied Stream County, it still takes a lot of resources to teleport troops and heroes. What's more troublesome is the life energy required for the bulwark heroes to travel through time and space.

Ivo instantly understood the mage's meaning. He waved his hand to call Kyle over and whispered a few words to him.

Kyle's previously fawning expression suddenly turned incredulous, and after a moment's hesitation, it gradually hardened: "No problem, leave it to me!"

He led a large number of personal guards, fully armed, and headed toward the area where his soldiers were resting.

Ivo and Levin climbed to the top of the city wall and looked out over the river in the distance.

Hundreds of warships appeared on the river, their sails and flags in disarray, with the stags as the largest force, and they were advancing towards Stream County.

"It seems the Amirka family has made a ruthless decision, mobilizing so many nobles to besiege them."

"The valley is, after all, their stronghold, and they can mobilize more soldiers to fight. Judging from the number of ships, there are at least seven or eight thousand people."

In recent days, the Empire has been continuously sending troops to them, using the Time Gate to consume resources for large-scale teleportation. There are about 5000 soldiers in Stream County, and even some withered tree warriors have arrived.

However, teleporting in enemy-occupied territory is very costly, and the resources gained from capturing county cities are basically exhausted, so a new target must be found.

"The river meanders and twists, allowing us to maneuver within this area, and so can they. A direct assault on Elton's capital from the valley is unrealistic; we should focus on disrupting their production and keeping Grand Duke Buck preoccupied."

It's time to attack the plains and see Elton's reaction.

"With that great one descending, we are certain to win this battle!"

As they spoke, a pitiful scream came from the city square.

Kyle actually used the henchmen he recruited as sacrifices to replenish the life energy needed for the portal.

He first tricked the soldiers into disarming them, then led them to the square, where he, along with Isildur's elite troops, massacred them. Four or five hundred soldiers were slaughtered, their blood flowing like a river, but the barren land absorbed the energy and became vibrant with life.

A massive, earthen-yellow gate opened with a roar in the air, and a herd of holy unicorns, stepping on fragrant green grass, crossed from the other side of the gate.

An innocent little girl stepped out from the clouds, sniffed the earth, and exclaimed with disgust: "The blood of lowly humans is truly stinking!"

After saying this, he waved his arm, and the corpse burst into flames, purifying the earth of its filth.

"Greetings, Elder Isabel!"

Ivo and Levin rushed over to pay their respects, after all, this bigwig from the Unicorn Legion had a rather bad temper.

"The elders are very dissatisfied with you. They sent so many people, yet you haven't accomplished anything. They're getting impatient."

The two lowered their heads and remained silent, only able to listen to Isabel's reprimand.

In reality, the resistance in the valley was quite strong, especially since it was on the kingdom's territory. It was already quite remarkable that they were able to wage guerrilla warfare and not be wiped out.

To take the initiative and gain a greater advantage, it is necessary to send more personnel.

Therefore, Isabel arrived, bringing with her a legion of 200 unicorns, 1000 silver pegasus, and 2000 great elves, to personally oversee the battle in the valley.

Of course, these troops weren't teleported over in a single day. The reason Ivo and Levin had stayed in Stream County these past few days was to gather resources for troop teleportation.

When it was Isabel's turn, the energy consumed under the restriction of the boundary stone was too great, so she had no choice but to perform a blood sacrifice.

But it was all worth it; with Isabel there, the enemy's hundreds of ships simply couldn't escape.

The commotion in Stream County City did not escape the notice of the nobles attacking from the city walls. Just as they hesitated, the city gates opened, and countless centaurs and dwarves rushed out, with silver pegasus covering the sky and even unicorns appearing.

"Damn it, the enemy has reinforcements again. Soldiers, stay alert!"

Gahn Amirka of the Milwaukee Bucks was the main force behind this siege. When he saw the enemy launch a sudden counterattack, he immediately sensed something was wrong.

However, the area is crisscrossed by rivers, making it difficult for the enemy to approach without boats. They can simply wait and defeat them.

He soon changed his mind.

The sweltering heat suddenly turned to a frigid temperature, dark clouds loomed overhead, and snow began to fall in an instant, each ice crystal imbued with magic.

Moreover, the rushing river became sluggish, and thin ice formed on the riverbanks, constantly moving towards the center. In a short while, the ice froze completely, freezing all the boats on the river surface, making them unable to move.

A moment later, looking around, all that could be seen outside the city of Xiliu County was a vast expanse of white, the weather was freezing cold, and the land was covered in ice for miles around.

【Glacier Freeze (Level 5 Magic, a mixed magic of air and water elements): Uses magic to change the weather, creating a snowy battlefield, and can freeze rivers and lakes, reducing the enemy's defense by 4 and luck by 2. The duration is affected by the spell's power.

This spell can only be learned by heroes with advanced mastery of air or water elements.

"Isabelle!"

Upon seeing the woman casting a powerful spell atop the city wall, Garn instantly knew who the enemy commander was.

Apart from this Archmage Isildur, who is proficient in all four elements, no one can easily cast mixed magic, let alone freeze such a wide area.

As a result, all the boats on the river became scrap, and they were trapped in place and could only fight the enemy head-on.

Garn cast an exorcism spell, and the river thawed instantly, but less than a minute later, the ice returned, trapping the boats in place once again.

Glacial Freeze is a continuous spell, and its duration depends on the hero's spell power level. As a renowned archmage of Isildur, Isabel can definitely sustain it until the end of the war.

At this point, Garn stopped wasting words, raised his longsword, and roared at the soldiers behind him.

“The valley is right behind us. If we do not stand up and defend our home today, Isildur will rush in, trample the fields, and kill our loved ones.”

This battle is unavoidable. Even if the river freezes and the land is covered in ice, we will make those fools of Isildur pay the price.

Let them know that the people nurtured by the Ella Valley are inviolable!

Halberdiers, archers, griffins, crusaders, and even priests responded to the little stag's call, raising their weapons and their morale soaring.

"The valley is inviolable!"

Even knowing that their chances of survival were slim, they were fearless; this was the true spirit of Elton's soldiers.

Simply because there is a homeland behind them that they must protect.

Another great battle has begun.

(End of this chapter)