Look at This Pie, So Big and Round 2/5

Hot Spring Pass, Hot Spring Pass, after going around in circles, that old friend has returned to the starting point of fate.

If things go wrong, Sparta might be doomed...

As he pondered to himself, Samael's brows furrowed, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the person who had transformed into a blood mist and fled in pursuit.

Immediately, the ancient snake raised its whip and cracked it a few times, urging its warhorse to catch up with Geku and Helen, riding alongside its two employers. With a deep gaze, it asked a question in a seemingly unintentional, low voice.

"Do you even know what kind of monster is chasing after you?"

"We don't know. All we know is that he calls himself an Assassin, someone who specializes in intercepting messengers, cutting off Hot Spring Pass's connection with the outside world, and assassinating people..."

Assassin... assassination... Heroic Spirit Summoning? It's been so long since I've heard such a Shiki title...

In theory, Heroic Spirit rarely appear alone; they are usually accompanied by a group.

Samael suppressed a shadow of gloom in his eyes, then glanced at Gege and Helen beside him.

"The only way you could have infiltrated outside Sparta and relentlessly pursued you is that someone leaked information—and this person was someone with firsthand battle reports who knew your plans— the Spartans leadership!"

"Theron!"

As Ge Kuan reviewed the various anomalies, his expression changed, and he uttered a somewhat strained answer.

Who is he?

"... Representing the interests of Sparta, join the council of the Mount of Ares, the royal bloodline of the Gods..."

"Then what is he now..."

"At Mount of Ares! He must have intercepted my husband's battle report, colluded with the Persians, and concealed the truth from the council hall!"

The Spartan Queen responded through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing with fury.

"That damned bastard, he betrayed Sparta! He betrayed Greece!"

Helen patted her chest gently, the gloom between her brows gradually dissipating. She patted Ge Quan's shoulder softly, comforting him gently.

"Rest assured, as long as we present the evidence to the council chamber and expose the true face of that traitor, and with the support of the Athenian army, the crisis at Hot Spring Pass will surely be overcome smoothly."

"That's right. I keep all the battle reports and military intelligence that Leonidas sends with me. With these, I'm not afraid of failing to bring down that traitorous bastard!"

Ge Kuan's brows relaxed, and he nodded earnestly.

If only that were true...

Samael turned his head away, his eyes gleaming.

That Spartans representative couldn't possibly control everything in Athens, and even if he could intercept the Spartans battle reports, what about the other city-states?

That was a coalition of Greek city-states, including many Divine Blood Aristocrats of other city-states and even a considerable number of Athenian infantry.

Faced with the crisis at Hot Spring Pass, Mount of Ares has remained silent. Is it really just a problem with one person?

It's probably rotten to the core.

Of course, it's rare that the two employers seemed somewhat invigorated; whether this was true or not is not worth elaborating on.

He's back!

Samael gazed at the outline of Mount of Ares ahead, his eyes filled with a chilling aura, as if brewing a torrent of bloodlust. However, the ancient serpent then looked back at the northern border, a hint of solemnity appearing on his face.

With Caesar and Alexander joining the fray, Hot Spring Pass could hold out until the dust settled in Athens.

Old friend, wait for me!

Meanwhile, Hot Spring Pass.

The troops who had been evacuated from the Greek states gradually arrived at their destination, Najaf.

Hot Spring Pass a strategic pass in central Greece, named for the numerous hot springs at its entrance. The surrounding terrain is easily defensible and difficult to traverse, making it unfavorable for Persian cavalry operations.

Only in the area where Hot Spring Pass is located is there an east-west thoroughfare, which is a passageway about 5 li long.

Looking out from a high vantage point, one can see that the south side of this passage is bordered by steep mountains, while the north side is adjacent to the Gulf of Mary.

There are three places along the route: the West Gate, the Middle Gate, and the East Gate, which are defended by Caesar, Leonidas, and Alexander, respectively.

The central pass guarded by the Spartan King was a defensive wall built by the ancient Phocians to protect against cavalry and facilitate the deployment of Sparta military formations. The narrowest points of the western and eastern passes were "only wide enough for one cart to pass through," which further reduced the requirements for the quality of the soldiers and made them most suitable for defense.

Once the battle begins, the Persian army's numerical advantage will be almost negated by the terrain. To conquer Hot Spring Pass, they will have to reinforce their troops wave after wave, which is tantamount to the taboo tactic of adding fuel to the fire.

Leonidas surveyed the perimeter of the wall, patted the battlements with satisfaction, and organized auxiliary troops to transport supplies and repair the wall. At the same time, he summoned Magecraft and priests to add defensive Cursed Seal to each brick, making full preparations for the coming great battle.

As evening approached, the vanguard of the Persian army had begun to appear near Hot Spring Pass.

"Chirp~ Chirp!"

Just as Leonidas was preparing for battle, several iron-feathered eagles with jet-black, gleaming feathers swooped down and landed on the battlements, revealing message tubes on their talons.

What's written on it?

"I bet it's just Xerxes's usual nonsense about trying to persuade me to surrender..."

The middle-aged man with the laurel wreath, who had clearly lost weight from his arduous military service, and the red-haired youth with a short sword at his waist, walked by cheerfully, asking and answering questions, as if they had found a rare moment of amusement.

"He said the Persians were so numerous that they could block out the sun with their arrows alone, and drown us with their spit. He said if I were willing to surrender, he could make me the King of Greece."

Leonidas shrugged, his expression disdainful, and turned to look mockingly at his two companions beside him.

"So, who's interested?"

Caesar slyly patted his little brother's shoulder, then raised his hand to rub his chin, gazing intently at the vanguard of the enemy forces ahead, muttering somewhat discontentedly.

"Xerxes is so insincere! He's a Greek king, and he wants the three of us to share him. Tsk, so stingy!"

"Besides, the title of King of Greece isn't something he can simply decide; in the future, won't he have to be at Cyrus's beck and call?"

Alexander scoffed and shook his head, bluntly exposing the Persian King's empty promises.

Immediately, the future Conqueror King stepped forward with his hand on his sword, his head held high, his still-haired face displaying an arrogant and confident expression.

"If I'm going to do it, I'll conquer the world and reach the end of the sea! And if I want something, I'll get it myself; I don't need anyone else to give it to me!"

"Your homeland, Macedonia, is gone. Where does your confidence come from?"

Caesar reached out and hooked his arm around Alexander's neck, ruthlessly reopening the wounds of a certain young man.

"That was my father leading the troops. If it were me, the Persians would have at least broken a few teeth!"

Alexander was confident and high-spirited, completely unaffected by the taunts of that unscrupulous fat man.

"If your old man hears you say that, he'll spank you!"

Caesar rolled his eyes with a grin, not forgetting to make a sarcastic remark.

"Since none of you want it, I'll just burn this letter. And while I'm at it, I happen to be lacking a snack to go with my drinks tonight..."

Leonidas licked his dry lips and teeth, his green eyes fixed on the Ironfeathered Eagle perched on the stack with a sinister look. The intense malice emanating from it made the feathered beast shiver and turn to run away, but it was caught by the faster Spartan King.

"No, we should be reasonable and follow etiquette; we should reply to them..."

Caesar pressed down on Leonidas's shoulder, his eyes narrowing into slits with a smile.

"Reply? Reply to what?"

"Let me think about it some more..."

Leonidas followed Caesar's gaze to the more than 7,000 exhausted soldiers and nodded thoughtfully.

At the same time, the Spartan King seemed to have thought of something; his eyes flickered, and his deep, unfathomable gaze made the Roman Emperor feel uneasy.