Abstain from Sin and Its Evil Consequences; Let Only the Kingdom of Heaven Descend!

"You Evil Filth, you're truly incorrigible!"

Just as the blonde, brown-skinned beauty turned around, yawning to herself, and was about to step out of the room, a silver-purple cross scepter suddenly appeared, blocking her path.

"Vritra, with me here, you will never escape to commit evil!"

The purple-haired saintess, brimming with a sense of justice, her brows furrowed with murderous intent, rebuked and declared without any politeness.

"What? You can go, so why can't I? You're just a human. I used to eat you as snacks. Are you kidding me? You mean you want to fight?"

The tanned blonde beauty raised an eyebrow, her Serpent Eyes narrowed in displeasure, and she cracked her wrists, then glanced at him with a cold smile, her expression haughty.

"However, you little girl can't stop me."

Vritra the Demon God of Snakes, or evil dragon, in the Ancient India epics Rigveda and Mahabharata.

Her name means "obstacle," and she possesses the powerful ability to block water flow and cause droughts. She has waged several large-scale wars with Indra, the Ancient India god of thunder.

In addition, Vritra is also said to be Asura, possessing the title of Asura-dhara, which is the King of Asura.

The Mahabharata describes a large army of demons, including the Kalakeyas and Rakshasa, led by Vritra, which caused the Indra gods to suffer a bitter battle.

However, in reality, in the age of gods where information was often misunderstood, the so-called Asura was actually a derogatory term used by Indians to refer to the invading gods of other countries.

Their true origins and identities are the gods of Persian Zoroastrianism.

As such, Vritra not only possesses the power to "block everything," but also the ability to transform it into a purely violent military force, as well as the power to create drought, making him extremely powerful.

Let alone one Martha, even ten or eight of them would be no match for this god of war.

In a sense, it can be said that in Cyrus the Great's summoning, this seemingly alluring blonde beauty is among the strongest of the seven riders.

Aside from Cyrus, who provides magic to sustain the spirit's physical existence, there are few who can restrain this Asura God of War.

Therefore, even as the atmosphere inside the tent grew increasingly tense as the two women drew closer, the other four riders wisely kept their distance and made no attempt to mediate.

"Martha, step back. The mercy of the saints should not be stained with too much innocent blood."

Cyrus the Great on his throne, first gently dissuaded the purple-haired saintess, then shook the golden goblet in his hand, his eyes gleaming.

"As for you, Vritra, Xerxes has just recruited three heroes from India. Their names are Karna, Jinako, and... Rama..."

If you're interested in traveling with them, you could join the fight.

The Demon God of Snakes first revealed a sinister smile full of malice, but then, upon hearing a certain name, his pupils contracted, his eyelids twitched, his gaze shifted, and he extinguished his flames, declining Cyrus's offer of help.

"Forget it, I've suddenly lost interest. I'd rather go to sleep."

"Ye'er, during this time, I happen to have other plans. If nothing unexpected happens, you should stay near that thing for now and wait patiently for the day of the decisive battle!"

Cyrus the Great withdrew his gaze, raised the golden cup, glanced around at the six riders in the tent, slowly rose, and earnestly admonished them.

"Remember: By the call of the Holy Grail, you have descended into peril. Guard against the evil consequences of sins, so that the Kingdom of Heaven may be restored and light may descend!"

"By contract! I obey your commands, and my life is one with your sword!"

At this moment, the six figures inside the tent knelt down one after another, solemnly making promises to the summoner.

Just as Cyrus was appeasing his six unruly contracted men, the war at Hot Spring Pass had already begun.

Leonidas, who was on high alert, rallied his Sparta soldiers to form a fierce battle formation while peering down through the battlements to observe the enemy's movements.

As the ground shook, the Medes were the first to rise up.

The Medes wore narrow sleeves and tight-fitting, knee-length blouses embroidered with exotic oriental patterns. Beneath their magnificent attire were linen or scale armor similar to that of the Greeks.

They carried two or three short spears, each 1.5 to 1.8 meters long, which they could use for both throwing and Melee Combat. They also used Dory Shield with notches on both sides for protection.

In addition, some people carried short swords at their waists. These soldiers generally wore headscarves that only exposed their faces, indicating that their equipment was inferior. Some of the wealthier Medes soldiers wore semi-circular helmets in the style of the steppe under their headdresses to make up for the lack of head protection.

The Scythians, following closely behind, wore pointed hats with ear and cheek guards. Their tribal nobles were equipped with helmets purchased or captured from Greece, and wore studded Leather Armor, tight-fitting clothes, and scale armor. They carried battle axes at their waists and leather quivers sewn from the scalps of their enemies, appearing fierce and ruthless.

The Greeks who were withdrawing from the Thessaly defenses looked at the blood-stained war artifacts in the hands of the Scythians with eyes that seemed to spit fire, but they remained unmoved by discipline.

Hiss!

Meanwhile, in order to reduce the pressure of hand-to-hand combat, the main Persian army in the distance secretly set up their bows and launched a volley of long-range shots before the battle began.

Meanwhile, the scattered Medes and Saka on the front lines also coordinated their bows and released a dense rain of arrows, creating a continuous barrage of firepower.

"Raise your shields! Defend!"

At the messenger's command, the Greek hoplites inside Hot Spring Pass skillfully formed a shield wall to deal with the dense barrage of arrows.

After several rounds of attacks, the arrow rain had little effect on the heavy infantry, but the arrows that landed on the shields still increased their weight, or pierced through the gaps, piercing the arms and legs of a few unfortunate men, bringing bursts of blood and screams, and putting considerable psychological pressure on the shield bearers.

By the time the wounded were dragged to the rear for treatment, the enemy forces had already approached Hot Spring Pass.

The Medes and Saka, who had begun Melee Combat, put away their powerful bows and advanced rapidly. Their ranks were unknowingly stretched out by the narrow mountain path, preventing them from utilizing their numerical advantage, and their formation became scattered. At medium range, they habitually hurled several volleys of short spears before engaging in melee combat with another, only to find themselves running headlong into Sparta's elite 300-strong royal guard.

While warriors from other city-states had donned lighter linen armor or scale breastplates, these 300 warriors, with their superior physiques, wore bell-shaped bronze breastplates. Each held a large bronze shield with inlaid borders in their left hand and raised a spear in their right, thrusting it downwards towards the Persians' eyes or necks, which were not protected by their helmets. While the first rank of warriors fought the enemy, the two ranks of Spartans behind them would seize the opportunity to thrust their spears into the gaps in the Persian shield wall, ruthlessly finishing them off.

Even when scattered swords and spears struck the bronze armor of the Spartan Royal Guard, the activated intricate incantations and the surging divine blood within the soldiers caused their limbs to go numb and they to stagger and fall to the ground.

Divine Blood Warrior! They're all Divine Blood Warrior!

The Medes and Saka who were clearing the way were stunned. In a moment of confusion, wave after wave of soldiers were disemboweled.

Similarly, at the nearby gateway, the Greeks from the other city-states used the strategic advantage of Hot Spring Pass, a pass that seemed impregnable, to fiercely attack the Persian sword-wielding enemies with their long, sharp spears, employing the advantage of superior strength.

Alexander, who was in charge of commanding the flanks, deployed the famous "Greek phalanx" defensive formation, which consisted of a wall of shields made up of wide shields, with long spears thrusting out in succession.

The small shields and short spears of the Thracian and Medians in the Persian army were no match for this spinning killing machine, and hordes of soldiers fell before the shields of the Greek phalanx.

"No mercy! No prisoners!"

Leonidas roared, raised his spear and pierced through two Persian soldiers, launching a counterattack with the royal guard at its core.

As the Persian soldiers at the front were stabbed to death with ease, the Sparta guards in the second rank used the spikes at the bottom of their spears to finish off the fallen enemies. The phalanxes along the line advanced slowly, leaving the ground littered with the remains and weapons of the fallen.

Even if a soldier falls due to exhaustion or being shot by an arrow, soldiers in the back immediately step forward to fill the gap, and other members step over their fallen comrades so that they can be treated by the subsequent medical team.

In just a few dozen breaths, a counter-attack caused the Persian vanguard, whose lines had been stretched, to lose thousands of men, forcing them to retreat urgently and regroup.

The Greeks, in turn, withdrew their defensive lines, cleared the battlefield, stripped the enemy of their armor, and collected their spoils, erupting in deafening cheers.

However, Leonidas and Alexander, who were looking at each other from the city wall, couldn't help but frown and look at the assembled Persian army, their eyes filled with deep worry.

This is just the beginning; a few small victories are simply not enough to reverse the overall situation.

Suddenly, a dark, surging procession, like a tidal wave, swept across the mountain path and surged forward. Two figures seated on thrones were flanked by one on each side, while in mid-air, a figure like a golden sun suddenly rose and shone brightly.

The two Persian kings, the Undying Army, and... that formidable enemy from another land, Karna, the Son of the Indian Sun God!

The war is progressing faster than they imagined!

Leonidas and Alexander exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking to the bottom.