A Masterful Handing Off
A small town on the Persian border.
A tense and uneasy atmosphere pervaded the area. Doors of every household were tightly shut, and the streets were in a state of chaos and desolation. Many residents even took advantage of the darkness to quietly flee their homes and escape to the interior. Everywhere, people were filled with fear and unease.
Just days earlier, the army that was supposed to advance swiftly and conquer Persia with sword and fire had been routed, and brought back shocking news.
The Persian army has been defeated!
Emperor Darius III was killed in battle, General Memnon died in battle, Arash the Great Hero lost an arm.
Of the 300,000 people, only about 30,000 escaped!
Even the spellcasters who were usually high and mighty, as well as the mysterious and powerful Undying Army, were almost all wiped out, with only a few survivors managing to escape.
The most direct reason, it is said, is that gods intervened in the war, causing a terrible natural disaster.
During this time, a continuous etheric turbulence swept across that wasteland for several days, with explosions and roars echoing for miles, and the intense aurora making the night as bright as day.
The earth-shattering commotion sent shivers down the spines of the residents in a remote Persian border town, who were terrified that the natural disasters unleashed by the divine war would spread and strike them.
The outcome of this battle remains unknown to outsiders.
The scouts sent out to investigate after the battle were almost all wiped out. The survivors were all wounded, dazed, and muttering incoherently, as if they had been frightened by something. The Persian army kept this a closely guarded secret.
However, descriptions of the battlefield's interior, such as the "Land of Nothingness" where life has vanished and all things have perished, and the "Wasteland of Death" where dust storms rage and murderers roam, spread rapidly within just a few days.
Both Persia and Rome tacitly agreed to station troops along their respective borders, blocking the way and prohibiting anyone from entering or leaving.
Meanwhile, in the wilderness, the culprit, who had been sitting beside a charred, withered tree, awoke in a daze.
How long did I sleep?
"Only half a day has passed, and everything is normal."
Under the cool moonlight, Hippolyta, who was tending the fire, answered while taking a piece of roasted bread from her dagger, along with her water pouch, and handed it to the man who was both familiar and unfamiliar to her.
Samael glanced at the woman's cloak covering him, took the food and water, and leaned lazily against the scorched tree stump, eating and asking questions at the same time.
"How is the legion?"
"Currently, the Ninth Legion is stationed at the city. The fortress has not been damaged much. The fortifications have been repaired and entry and exit have been strictly sealed off. Pompey is now in charge of military affairs within the city. Just in case, I have left three sisters and two thousand Amazon Warrior to be at your disposal. There shouldn't be any major problems."
Moreover, this desolate terrain now acts as a barrier, and the sandstorms are of unknown duration, making it unsuitable for marching. Furthermore, the Persians have been severely weakened by this battle and are unlikely to provoke further conflict anytime soon.
"What about the City of Seven Hills?"
"My remaining five sisters, led by Penthesilea, have set off with another two thousand Amazon Warrior in accordance with your orders. According to the estimated journey, they should have already arrived at the capital. They will protect the Roman Rose Emperor with utmost care."
Hippolyta pondered for a moment, then recounted the recent situation in detail.
Samael nodded slightly, his tense nerves relaxing a little.
The nine Amazon sisters are all Divine Blood Hero with the Blood of Ares, and Penthesilea is being groomed to be the next Amazon Queen.
With five Divine Blood Hero, plus 2,000 Amazon Divine Blood Warriors guarding Nero, and with Brunhilde and the Celtic Princesses providing support, theoretically, his safety was sufficient unless a god himself arrived.
And...
The ancient serpent turned to look at Hippolyta, casually summoned the Spear of Nation-Building, and tossed it to the Amazon Queen.
"By bloodline, you are the daughter of Ares, God of War, and the sister of Divine Ancestor Romulus. Now that you Amazons have arrived, the duty to protect Rome is now handed over to you."
That's right, this was Samael's plan to fire the war whistle that night to lure the Amazons.
He was destined not to stay in Rome obediently. Rather than watching this defensive line collapse, he should make arrangements as soon as possible and find a new owner to take over.
After much thought, having found a lead, and being able to make contact with the only person who was a suitable match in terms of identity and ability, the Amazon Queen, whom he had met before.
Hippolyta did not accept the artifact that represented the continuation of Roman divine and royal power; instead, she looked up and quietly gazed at Samael.
"If this is your order, I will obey..."
The ancient snake paused for a moment, then smiled wryly, as if lost in thought.
"So, during the Trojan War, the Amazons didn't ignore the signal for war, but rather refused to participate? You've really allied with Mount of Ares?"
"We were originally a tribe that worshipped the Artemis, Moon Goddess, but we have only recently rediscovered our faith."
"Good heavens, so Artemis is the traitor on Mount of Ares? Since there's the moon goddess, Apollo must be included too?"
Hippolyta's tense face softened into a smile as she recalled the past.
"Not only that, before the war, more than half of the Olympus gods were associated with Mount of Ares, so even after the war, their faith continued to prevail in Greece."
Samael suddenly realized what was happening, and his eyes showed pity.
No wonder the Mount of Ares and Olympus turned into a contest where the Trojan War was the wager to decide the fate of both sides. It turns out that Olympus was full of traitors. If a real war had broken out, Zeus probably wouldn't have been able to control them.
Moreover, Athena, that cunning little devil, is adept at sowing discord, secretly colluding, and offering benefits; she's incredibly skilled at manipulating the enemy, it would be a miracle if they didn't collapse.
After all, only the authority of the King of Gods possesses supreme power and uniqueness.
And these gods, not only could their faith be maintained in Greece, but even when they were sent out to explore new frontiers, they could still develop their own followers. No matter how you look at it, it was a win-win situation.
It's no wonder that Rome and Greece formed the Pan-Hellenic Front to jointly resist the multi-pronged attack from Persia, Egypt, and the Huns.
It turns out that the interests of Mount of Ares and the Pantheon were already intertwined, and the division was not as obvious as it appeared on the surface.
This also explains why the Pantheon's war horn, once in its own hands, could be effective in summoning the Amazons.
Okay, so you really did hand in a perfect answer sheet for the homework I assigned.
Samael learned that he had become the real boss behind the Amazons, and he was full of praise for his capable adopted daughter.
Then, her thoughts returned, and out of curiosity, Hippolyta asked about the confusion in her heart.
When did Amazons become so fierce?
The result left Samael with a wry smile.
It really is his fault.