Ares's Daughters

"The Magecraft bombardment is coming!"

As the sky and earth changed color, Samael keenly sensed that the surging, trembling ether was gathering above their heads from all directions, and immediately shouted a warning.

"Prepare the tortoise formation! Quickly!"

Pompey gritted his teeth and made a difficult decision in this critical moment.

More than 30,000 people relied on the terrain of the valley, pressed close to both sides, and urgently took cover. They raised their shields and built an impenetrable shield wall on all sides and above, with divine patterns intertwined on them, forming a defensive barrier that emitted a faint light.

Bang bang bang bang!

Like a meteor shower, a barrage of Spell projectile, each one carrying a sharp, piercing sound, striking the ground one after another. Muffled thunderous sounds rose and fell, the ground trembled violently, and large clouds of dust billowed up from the gullies.

Boom!

As a rock collapsed, Pompey lost his footing and nearly fell out of the defensive barrier built by several of the army's Magecraft.

Samael reacted quickly, extending his arm to pull the commander back, his brow furrowing slightly as he did so.

Pompey's eyes showed gratitude. After pounding his chest in protest, he respectfully returned to his original position and continued conducting.

As the dust from the explosion gradually settled, the commander took in the scene within the ravine, his eyes filled with gloom as he looked at the several empty square formations that had been smashed into small patches.

The tortoise formation is the best defensive formation in group combat. When the team is at its peak, it can withstand most attacks except for large-scale ritual incantations, high-level divine spells, and catapult bombardments. It can even defend against a Meteor Legion.

However, after a series of battles, the Legion's combat capabilities have declined sharply. Now, it is even struggling to deal with the arcane Spell projectile of the arcane mage, and it has truly reached its limit.

For a seasoned Roman general, defending in place using the tortoise formation was not a good option.

This often means that they have lost the initiative and have completely abandoned mobility in order to delay the collapse of the legion.

Therefore, according to the experience circulating in the army, when it comes to deploying the tortoise formation in battle, they lose more than 80% of the time.

"Your Highness, I will cover the rear and do everything I can to hold off the Persians. Please lead the elite of your legion to the interior to rest and reorganize, and then form a new front!"

After a moment's thought, Pompey made a solemn plea.

"It's pointless, let's just hold on."

"How could that be! Even if we lose the Ninth and Tenth Legion, we still have the three provinces protecting the capital! And the seven cities of Qi! War is not about the gain or loss of a single city or territory. As long as these vital elements remain, we still have a chance, and the legacy of Rome will not be broken!"

"Execute this order."

"Yes... yes..."

Samael calmly rejected Pompey's proposal, his Serpent Eyes gazing down at the commander with a chilling tone that sent shivers down his spine and made his body stiffen.

Faced with the overwhelming divine might, Commander Pompey lowered his head, his expression one of intense fervor, and responded in a hoarse voice.

After spending seven or eight days with him, he almost forgot that he was not facing a colleague with whom he could speak freely and sit side by side, but a high and mighty deity.

Faced with such a perilous situation, the commander's expression froze, his mind heavy, and he turned to look at the spirit beside him.

Samael gazed at the vast Persian army gathered in the distance, his five fingers first tightening on the spear in his hand, then slowly relaxing.

This action has been repeated many times by the gods before our eyes since the start of the war.

So, we were just bait...

A thunderbolt struck Pompey's mind, and he suddenly understood. He looked at himself and the 30,000 remaining soldiers in the ravine with a touch of self-mockery.

The role of the former was initially played by the Ninth and Tenth Legion and the two lines of defense before and after them.

Now, this aloof angler needs another, more substantial bait.

Pompey closed his eyes for a moment, and when he opened them, the complex emotions in his eyes had vanished, replaced by a sharp, cold demeanor, and... a sense of detachment...

"Your Highness, please allow me to stand with my soldiers!"

"Strive to live on, for yourselves, and for your Rome..."

Samael squinted and examined the situation for a moment, then murmured in the wind, his words reaching the Commander's ears.

Pompey paused briefly, then grabbed his sword, shield, and spear, exited the protective barrier of divine might, and strode confidently into the battlefield.

Indeed, protecting Rome was the duty of the Romans, not the obligation of this god, so they shouldn't ask for anything more.

Standing alone on the gentle slope, the deity looked at the spear in his hand, a sense of desolation and helplessness creeping into his expression.

Tsk, another good chat partner lost.

That's why I dislike overly perceptive people...

At this moment, thousands of armored Persian elephant cavalrymen marched out of their ranks with heavy, swaying steps and charged into the ravine. After being struck several times, the Roman Legions's front-line tortoise-shell formation shattered, and hundreds of men were trampled into a bloody pulp or thrown into the air.

These tanks advanced slowly, with reinforcements constantly arriving from behind and to the sides of the ravine. The mixed forces of the Undying Army and Arcane Mages pressed forward directly, continuously encroaching on the Roman Legions' operational space.

The Roman Legions fought with all their might, displaying remarkable tenacity. Like a grinding wheel of flesh and blood, they crushed and pulverized the Persian army that had advanced into the valley.

Darius III continuously deployed troops, smashing into these blood-soaked trenches, prying open the hard shells of the tortoise-shell formation layer by layer, and devouring the inner flesh and blood.

Samael's eyes swept over the blood-soaked, grueling battlefield, his gaze fixed on the tens of thousands of Persian soldiers who remained unmoved. His brow furrowed even more deeply.

Unfortunately, the original plan to exhaust the Persians' two lines of defense collapsed prematurely. Even though the Roman Legions under his command had done its best in every aspect, it was still not enough to force the Persians to reveal their true intentions.

Ultimately, there are very few usable cards in hand.

Tsk, I'm not good at endurance activities like fishing; mental games like chess are more suitable for me.

Well, we're still one move behind. There's no point in dragging it out any longer. Let's try to leave as many pieces on the board as possible.

A shadow crossed Samael's eyes. He loosened his five fingers slightly, then tightened them one by one on the gun barrel. His Cross Star Pupils opened and closed, and light patterns on the gun body gradually activated and appeared.

Hiss!

Aetheric Undercurrents ethereal currents surged around the ancient serpent, a sharp tearing sound came from the dim yellow sky in the southeast, and in an instant, a cluster of black dots plummeted straight down from the sky.

Puff puff puff puff!

In an instant, arrows, each a meter and a half long and with arrowheads flashing with divine markings, rained down on the Persian army like a meteor shower, pinning thousands of soldiers, shields and armor, to the ground.

Looking into the distance, the archers were still nearly a thousand meters away from where their arrows would land. Their strength and marksmanship were beyond the reach of even their most elite Undying Army, leaving the Persians in awe.

Amazon!

Immediately following, a roar like gold shattering and jade cracking arose, and a short, silver-haired woman on horseback swung her whistling chain hammer, which, like a falling meteor, crushed seven or eight Persian soldiers into a bloody pulp, their blood splattering everywhere. The attack horn sounded loudly.