Against several Grand Masters, they would end up overwhelmed. Even if Hugh led the attack, the plan would ultimately fail if the ones supporting from the back could not follow through properly due to the gap in power.
They all fell into a tense silence. If they only had Malek with them, they had a better chance of succeeding in a preemptive attack. Every council member shared the same sentiment- including Hugh.
It was not because they did not trust Hugh enough or because they believed Malek was stronger. Both had different specialties. The former's offensive ability was more effective in a battle of attrition, while the latter was effective pre-emptively.
Malek could make wide-area magic attacks and easily disable enemy movements. But Hugh could not do that. He could target multiple enemies at the same time, but he could not disable their movements.
