Actors, Take Your Places 2/3

Waaaaah~

As the sun rose, the mournful sound of horns washed away the bloodshed and chaos of the previous night, shattering the dreams of the Athenians. In the solemn atmosphere, the rallies, either instinctively opened their doors and windows to watch from afar, or took to the streets and gathered along both sides of the road.

The city was bustling with people, and all eyes, whether surprised, confused, or nervous, converged on the limestone hill at the highest point of the Acropolis of Athens.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, the Valkyrie, dressed in a khaki hooded trench coat, with swan wings on their backs, and wielding Shield of Divine Iron and a ray of light, gracefully ascended from Mount of Ares, spreading out in an orderly fashion above the Acropolis of Athens, like the steel dome protecting Athens.

Then, the well-equipped Athenian Heavy Infantry, divided into several squares, maintained their formation and strode out of the camp in a mighty procession, appearing before the Athenians and marching to the foot of the Acropolis. Tens of thousands of men moved as one, the earth trembled, metal clanged, and the fierce and murderous aura of the soldiers was overwhelming, like tigers released from their cages.

The residents along the route unconsciously clenched their fists, their faces flushed, their hearts pounding, and in their excitement, they couldn't help but recall the solemn and majestic mobilization for their first Battle of Marathon.

Buzz buzz buzz!

Immediately afterwards, the sky darkened abruptly, and dazzling patterns of light appeared. The Eighty-Eight Constellations were lit up one after another, and beams of light descended from the sky amidst the colorful falling stardust, arranging themselves in an orderly fashion from top to bottom at the turn of the steps of the Acropolis of Athens, together guarding the arrival of that shining star.

Under the starlight, Sagittarius, the last of the 88 constellations, clad in Gold Cloths, wielding Golden Bow, and carrying Medusa's Shield, and known as the "Goddess's Guardian," drew the hand of Medusa, the Serpent Goddess, causing her metal wings to vibrate as they gracefully descended together.

Immediately following, streaks of light descended rapidly, focusing on Sagittarius and the Serpent Goddess, and stood on the left and right sides of the core of the eight marble structural pillars.

Their magnificent entrance was awe-inspiring, immediately captivating the audience. Their overwhelming divine power, like rolling dark clouds, instantly dispelled the various rumors circulating in the city that questioned the identities of the Saint King and the Goddess.

After several days of dramatic changes and the Magecraft Projection etched into the streets and alleys, the residents could recognize the corresponding entities at a glance and became convinced of the return of the Saint King Theseus and the Serpent Goddess Medusa.

Following this, in accordance with the procedure, the Parthenon proceeded to the lighting of the Sacred Flame, the burning of incense, and the offering of sacrifices and prayers to the gods.

Samael, the Saint King, personally handed the flaming arrow to the Sparta high priest, witnessed by the goddess.

As the bowstring was drawn taut, the arrow shot into the sky.

After a brief silence, the sky suddenly darkened, the sun and moon shone together, the stars shone brightly, and lightning and thunder roared incessantly, as if the gods were angry.

Immediately afterwards, the sky became a bow, the star marks became arrows, and the vast divine power condensed to its extreme. A beam of golden light, carrying the force of thunder, crashed like a falling comet onto the towering and solemn metal torch stand in front of the Parthenon, which stood atop the Acropolis of Acropolis of Athens.

In an instant, raging flames rose up, and the Olympus Sacred Flame, dormant for many years, was completely rekindled.

However, the flames that should have been golden turned into billowing black smoke and a ghastly green, and a strong stench of corpses filled the air, permeating the entire city of Athens. The residents, who were almost nauseous, vaguely saw their once prosperous Holy City reduced to ruins in the flames, with mountains of rotting, stinking corpses crawling on them. Carrion-eating crows and vultures swooped down on the bodies, pecking at the livers and flesh of the gruesome dead.

As their senses became clearer and they zoomed in to observe the disturbed corpses, the Athenians were horrified to see their own faces and clothes reflected in them, as well as their own agonizing, contorted expressions before death and their own shattered bodies.

Waaah!

In a daze, the dark clouds of death gathering over Athens coalesced into hideous and terrifying vengeful spirits, emitting sharp roars as they swooped down upon these living souls, seemingly intending to drag them down to hell together. But as a chilling cold seeped into their bodies and agonizing cries filled their minds, the illusions shattered and vanished amidst the Athenians' terror and trembling.

It was as if everything was not just a nightmare.

However, the pale-faced crowd looked up in shock and were horrified to see that the blazing Sacred Flame was still a sinister, ghastly green.

"Destruction! Destruction! The goddess is warning us!"

"That's right, this war has nothing to do with Athens, and we have no reason to fight for the Spartans!"

"It's all this Sparta woman's fault! She brought terror to Athens!"

Rumble!

Just as many terrified Athenians began to whisper among themselves, a series of thunderclaps resounded in the sky, as if in the wrath of the gods, causing the residents to instinctively fall silent, their faces pale and trembling.

Creak...

Immediately, bolts of lightning struck the Parthenon, and to the horror of the Athenians,

The Athena statue, which once defended the Athens and stands tens of meters tall, is adorned with a golden helmet, breastplate, and robe, with various divine symbols resonating and echoing. It has abandoned its serene posture of a spear resting on its shoulder and a shield placed beside it, and now appears as if it were alive, with its joints moving, its Goatskin Divine Shield raised forward, and its stone spear pointing out its sharp edge.

Carved from ivory, the face, with its delicate and soft tones, is bursting with rage, while the gem-encrusted eyes gleam with divine light, staring intently at a certain spot.

In an instant, the goddess statue slowly assumed a forward-leaning throwing posture, and the stone spear that flew from her hand, accompanied by a sharp whistling sound, bombarded the Piraeus Harbor with thunderous force under the astonished gaze of the Athenians.

In an instant, smoke and dust rose, the earth trembled, and deep, bottomless black cracks spread and tore open, with plumes of ominous and putrid black-green smoke rising from the harbor to the roads, passing through farmland, villages, towns, and heading towards the Athens.

Along the way, the vegetation withered, and livestock convulsed and died tragically, a scene of apocalyptic devastation brought by disease.

Ta-da!

Inside the Temple of the God of Medicine, the Calamity Bell tolled endlessly, its dull echo like a heavy hammer striking the hearts of everyone present.

What brought Athens down was actually this disaster!

The Athenians suddenly realized that the evil aura of the plague was about to spread to their heads. In their terror, the residents trembled, a bone-chilling cold spread through their bodies, and they had an urge to turn around and run away.

" With Bow of Prayer and Arrow of Purification, the gods bear witness to this; grant us blessings! May the plague be banished!"

Just as the dark green column of smoke was about to invade Athens, solemn divine prayers resounded throughout the Athens. Helen, in her flowing robes, bent down and gently kissed a pure long arrow. With the help of divine power, she drew back the divine bow that had been sealed in the Roman Pantheon, and the light patterns gradually lit up.

As the arrow was fired, it encountered a black and green smoke screen that pierced through it, like a red-hot knife cutting into butter, emitting a piercing, rat-like screech, and was melted by the sizzling light, leaving a clear crack.

Immediately afterwards, streaks of golden light shot out from the starry sky, piercing through the black mist with unstoppable force, continuously dissolving and evaporating the last trace.

The plague, wiped out?!

The Athenians, still in shock, stared in disbelief at the Parthenon.

As the breeze blew, her veil fluttered, revealing her golden hair, which looked as if it were woven from gold, and her unparalleled beauty, which combined the qualities of a young girl, a noblewoman, and Goddess of Beauty. The Athenians were stunned and mesmerized.

A goddess! It's a goddess! She must be the goddess sent by the gods to save Athens!

After the emotions of the people had gone through a rollercoaster ride, the relief of surviving the ordeal and the fascination of a fleeting glimpse of her beauty caused the Athenians to erupt in deafening cheers, celebrating the elimination of the source of the plague and the protection of the goddess of Athens.