Song of Despair, Sword of Destruction! Double Chapter

Meanwhile, at Hot Spring Pass, on the front lines.

"Roar!"

A thunderous roar shook the earth as a hairy giant claw lifted a raised rock, taut its muscles, and swung it forward.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Amidst the deafening roar, the Sorcery Array on the protective city wall flickered, spreading its pent-up power to the surrounding area.

Click...

As chunks of rock, each the size of a small hill, crashed into the light screen, the spiderweb-like cracks that had formed from the impact spread in all directions, quickly pushing the Magic Barrier to its limit.

But in the end, this light-like barrier withstood the massive boulder thrown by the distant Doom Monster and slowly repaired itself.

The Sparta defenders behind the shimmering wall breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts finally calming down.

The garrison, caught off guard by the massive, towering figure that seemed to blot out the sky, cursed under their breath.

The Persian mammoth war elephants were already troublesome enough, but this new creature was simply a behemoth with its size increased a thousandfold, and its strength and defense were terrifying enough to inspire despair.

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

However, before the defenders of Hot Spring Pass could recover from the previous attack, the ground shook violently, and even the pebbles beneath their feet that transmitted the tremors bounced several inches up.

Here it comes! Here it comes!

"Defense! Defense!"

The captain in the front row, his heart pounding and his face pale, delivered a near-out-of-tune shout of warning amidst the earth-shaking tremors.

Amidst the billowing dust tens of meters high, the Behemoth Beast charged into the canyon, casually swinging its two claws with sharp nails, brutally smashing the obstructing rocks as if kneading tofu. Its majestic body crashed through protruding rock formations, its speed not diminishing in the slightest.

"Roar!"

In the blink of an eye, the Behemoth Beast, which had rushed within 10 meters, leaped up with a bent knee and, like a maddened giant ape, swung its nearly ten-meter-long claws at the Magecraft barrier that was on the verge of collapse.

It's over...

The dozens of soldiers at the front line, watching the awe-inspiring, towering hand descend, trembled involuntarily amidst the beastly roar.

That is the awe and fear that lower-level species have for higher-level beings, etched in their blood.

At the critical moment, the fierce Aether Tide surged and converged wildly, pouring into the crumbling Magecraft barrier like a thousand rivers flowing into the sea.

Amidst a dull thud that nearly pierced eardrums, blue, red, yellow, and white halos swirled, forcefully blocking an attack from the Behemoth Beast.

Under the intense recoil, the apocalyptic behemoth staggered back several steps, wobbled, and crashed into a rocky outcrop, collapsing half of it.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the ether scattered in the air gathered wildly, forming a blue, red, yellow, and white vortex at the gap where smoke and dust rose.

In an instant, fireballs, ice spikes, ground spikes, and streams of light—a dense, meteor-like barrage of Magecraft attacks—slammed down on the Behemoth.

The colorful splashes and the sounds of explosions lasted for nearly ten breaths.

Furthermore, during this period, the four-colored vortexes descended with more than just single-attribute attacks. The combination of red flames and frost on the outside and blue on the inside, the falling rocks that were ignited like meteorites, the mixture of water and soil, and the large swamp used to restrict movement... These diverse composite Magecraft were presented to everyone, leaving the accompanying Magecraft dumbfounded.

Inside the city walls, the surrounding ether, as if in a trance, was converging and gathering in one place.

Following the fluctuations of magical energy, the survivors looked at the culprit who had ruthlessly drained the surrounding magical energy, their eyes bulging as if they would fall out of their sockets.

Because of the small vortex-shaped Aether Tide, they actually coalesced in mid-air into a magnificent and dazzling crown, with blue, red, yellow, and white colors flashing alternately.

Holy crap! The Elemental Crown!

This is a unique phenomenon that can only be formed by spellcasters with near-perfect elemental affinity, and it is based on legends.

Even in the Age of Gods, where geniuses were everywhere, the possessors of this thing were few and far between. They were either renowned Great Hero, Great Sage who ushered in new eras, or beings like Witch and gods.

Typical examples include Hecate, Goddess of the Dark Moon, Medea the Sorcery Queen, and Athena, the goddess of Magecraft.

Now, what did they see...?

There was a guy who was no more than thirty years old, dressed in a white Greek robe, with a book between his fingers, who possessed this terrifying talent. He was wearing this Elemental Crown and bombarding the Behemoth Beast on the outside with all sorts of compound Magecraft and ritual spells at will.

"Boom!"

Finally, after nearly three weeks of Magecraft cleansing, the young man, who possessed both intellectual and lazy qualities, felt somewhat tired and stopped, frowning.

"Teacher, watch out!"

Just as the dozen or so guards who had witnessed the Magecraft show were staring blankly and looking numb, Prince Alexander of Macedonia led a reinforcement force and rushed over. While asking questions, he reached out and helped the slightly swaying blue-haired man to sit down on a blue stone.

"Prince Alexander's teacher? I remember now, you are Aristotle, the genius who was expelled from the Athenian Academy by Plato!"

Upon hearing Alexander's address to the blue-haired man, a Magecraft accompanying the army suddenly realized the man's identity. After blurting out the answer, he realized his rudeness, hurriedly bowed and patted his chest to express his apology, and then huddled together with his colleagues in the corner to whisper among themselves.

There is a saying in the Peloponnese that nearly half of the Magecraft in Greece came from Athens, and three-thirds of the elite came from the Athenian Academy.

This demonstrates just how prestigious and powerful the Athenian Academy was in terms of Magecraft teaching and talent cultivation before it was sealed off by Mount of Ares.

Among the younger generation of students at the Athenian Academy, the two most famous geniuses were Aristotle and Archimedes.

However, the more talented a person is, the more individualistic they are, and the more difficult they are to tame.

For example, Aristotle possessed talents and qualities that made others envious. He was recommended as a mentor at a young age, yet he insisted on logic and scholarship, deconstructing the mystical.

His relationship with his teacher Plato gradually deteriorated due to their differing ideologies, and he was dismissed and expelled a few months before the Athenian Academy was closed.

Later, this rising genius wandered to Macedonia and became the teacher of Prince Alexander, secretly following his disciple to protect his safety.

In fact, the mountain trails that served as weak points, as well as the Magecraft protective barrier of Hot Spring Pass, were able to hold out precisely because of the help of their teacher, Aristotle. Otherwise, they would not have been able to withstand the arrival of the first and second waves of reinforcements.

"How are things going with you and Leonidas?"

Sitting atop the rocky outcrop, Aristotle took several deep breaths to regain some strength, then frowned and asked.

"We barely managed to repel them once. The Persians, for some reason, are withdrawing their forces. I was a little worried, so I brought some men to check out the back of the mountain."

Alexander handed over the Magic Potion while checking the damage and casually replied.

"Be careful, the Persians are going all out. These war beasts that suddenly appeared are too resistant. Most of my Magecraft attack was neutralized. The one outside should still be alive."

Aristotle frowned, grabbed his disciple's arm, and gave him a stern reminder.

Alexander nodded slightly, then waved his hand, signaling dozens of Divine Blood Warriors to draw their spears and step forward to investigate.

At that moment, the eerie and murderous sound of horns echoed, and the sky suddenly became scorching hot, even the weapons were burning hot.

"Get out of the way!"

Aristotle, whose etheric senses were extremely sharp, was immediately alarmed. He grabbed his disciple and, facing the deep pit to the side, leaped into the pit.

In an instant, a strange crimson flame fell from the sky, piercing through the Magic Barrier and crashing into the city wall with undiminished force, stirring up a terrifying Aether Storm, shattering and scattering the bricks inscribed with defensive spells.

Puff puff puff puff!

In an instant, rocks flew through the air. Except for a few quick-reacting Divine Blood Warrior, most of the soldiers and Magecraft who remained on the ground didn't even have time to scream before their bodies were torn to pieces and shattered into mincemeat.

Immediately, the spilled blood and scattered limbs, before they could even hit the ground, were burned and evaporated under the intense light.

Hiss...

Relying on their vigilance, the survivors, having narrowly escaped death, brushed off the rubble and dust from their bodies and tentatively emerged from behind the shelter they had found. Gazing at the charred patches scattered on the ground, they all gasped in shock.

The area they had previously guarded had been transformed into a cone-shaped pit tens of meters deep, with wisps of blue smoke rising from the surrounding rocks, and even traces of high-temperature crystallization appearing on the edges.

The remains of those who died in battle, left behind at the site, have been completely destroyed.

The fortress blocking the path had completely fallen; the horrific scene was chilling and terrifying.

Waaaaah!

Almost at the same time, the deep and solemn sound of bugles reached the skies above the main battlefield.

Under the sudden, scorching heatwave, the air visibly distorted, nearly half of the trees and grass on the ground withered and burned rapidly, and the sea Hot Spring Pass boiled.

The mere impact of the heat was enough to make it unbearable.

If Aristotle hadn't frantically gathered the surrounding water elements to build an ice wall and protect everyone, they would have been roasted and spontaneously combusted almost instantly.

At that very moment, a meteorite several miles in diameter, engulfed in flames, was summoned from the enormous Sorcery Array that covered the sky and crashed into the ground with lightning speed.

Boom!

The strong tremors caused the people guarding the path to lose their footing.

When the aftershocks subsided, they were shocked to see that the formidable pass that had held off the Persians for seven days and seven nights had collapsed, leaving a breach stretching for several meters.

This scar completely exposed the soft interior of Hot Spring Pass and the garrison huddled within the ramparts to the Persians.

Alexander and Aristotle, supporting each other as they rose, gazed upon the enemy army stretching across the mountains and even scattered across the sky, their hearts sinking to the bottom.

At this moment, the Hot Spring Pass defense line is in full swing.

Behind the huge gap, a nimble, fat man in red dug out the dusty-faced Sparta King from a pile of rubble.

Seeing that the man's eyes were unfocused and his expression was dazed, the fat man in red didn't say a word, but instead started slapping the man's cheeks repeatedly, and then grabbed the victim's shoulders and shook him violently.

"Hey, Leonidas, wake up! The Persian army is coming! Where are our men?! Those two in North America are gods!"

When Caesar's gaze fell upon the Persian army that was getting closer and closer to the breach, his voice even carried a hint of a sob.

"Dealing with Rama and Vritra a close contest, and I'm too busy to spare any attention!"

Leonidas, regaining consciousness, was startled into adopting a defensive posture. He casually removed his deformed helmet, picked up his gun and shield, leaned against the broken wall, and called upon his soldiers to fight the enemy while responding hastily amidst the deafening explosions.

"What about Achilles and Ajax the Great?"

"They are currently locked in a fierce battle with the Great Hero Karna and the Elephant Headed God Ganesh!"

Where is that kid Alexander?

"I just led a group of people to Xiao Yu on the back mountain to support his teacher Aristotle. We don't know if he's alive or dead yet!"

With his ears ringing, Leonidas shook his head, which was like a lump of paste, as he threw a spear, impaling two Undying Army who had crept up on him, while shouting in a desperate attempt to regain his composure.

"Stop thinking about it. Apart from those who are tied down, everyone who can move is here. Whether they live or die, we can only rely on ourselves now!"

As the enemy forces grew larger, the Sparta King and Caesar stood back to back, hacking and slashing at the nearby Persians, decisively shattering the Roman Emperor's hopes.

Even with the arrival of two waves of reinforcements, the disparity between the Greek defenders and the Persians in all aspects remained insurmountable.

Hero units are so numerous that there aren't even enough for one-on-one combat.

Due to the terrifying destructive power of high-end weaponry, the two sides in this conflict will generally maintain a tacit understanding, with soldiers fighting soldiers, generals fighting generals, and kings fighting kings, and will choose open areas as battlefields to avoid indiscriminately slaughtering the regular troops of both sides.

Therefore, the several pairs of fighters are engaged in a fierce battle on the Sea of Chaos, and it will be difficult to determine a winner in a short time.

In the end, they tried their best to maintain a fragile balance.

The sudden appearance of the Ra shattered the defenses with two blows, turning the tide of war completely in the hands of the Persians.

"Form ranks! Prepare for battle!"

With no defensible positions left, Leonidas and Caesar wiped the blood from their faces, struck their shields, and rallied their remaining troops.

As the rubble churned, a group of swaying figures gathered from all sides, guns raised and shields erected, making a final stand.

The Persians were shocked to discover that the garrison stationed at Hot Spring Pass had dwindled to a mere ten men...

Thump! Thump! Thump! Thump!

A series of thunderous booms, like heavy drumbeats and muffled thunder, echoed from the ground once more.

Two more towering Behemoth Beast, as majestic as mountains, violently struggled to break their chains, grabbed dozens of nearby Persian Magecraft, and stuffed them into their mouths to eat.

Then, the glowing collars around the necks of the two apocalyptic behemoths began to tremble and burn, causing them to growl and become docile. They stared fiercely ahead and charged towards the ruins of Hot Spring Pass on all fours.

"Great Tontra, Radiant King, Father of All Flames, the war horn has sounded, your might will keep calamity from befalling us, and grant us victory..."

As the Zoroastrianism priests solemnly prayed, the crowd looked into the distance and were astonished to see thousands of mammoth soldiers, like heavily armored tanks, charging out of the Persian camp, crushing across the wilderness, and sweeping in from the torn canyon.

Behind them, hordes of the Undying Army and regular Persian troops swarmed forward, like a swarm of ants, gathering in a dark mass towards the breach in the city wall.

Not only that, but specks of iridescent light, like stardust, rained down from the sky. The guards instinctively looked up and saw figures as graceful as jewels, with pairs of different light-like wings on their backs, wearing full-body armor, and holding bows, spears, swords, and shields. They emerged inch by inch from the rotating and condensing Sorcery Array, like stars twinkling in the sky.

The number was well over a thousand!

They really think highly of us...

Leonidas and Caesar, teetering on the brink of collapse, exchanged a glance at the Persian army, which was less than a meter tall, and the angels swooping down. They saw the madness flashing in each other's eyes, and simultaneously wiped the blood from their faces, their mouths contorted in a ferocious grin.

Damn it, I'll give it my all!

At the critical moment, the world suddenly darkened like the closing twilight, and a crimson flame descended from the sky, piercing the center of the breach in Hot Spring Pass, blocking the two armies.

"Twilight has arrived, the song of despair begins, this is the end, all things are destroyed, returning to ashes! —Blazing Sun, Blazing Sword!"

With a chilling roar, the air crackled and boiled. A giant flaming sword, a thousand meters long, materialized at the top of its hilt and, using it as a fulcrum, swept and slashed at the Persians on the outside.

Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!

In an instant, the earth split open, rivers boiled, and pillars of fire rose up like fountains. Tens of thousands of Persian soldiers nearby and a group of angels that swooped down were instantly reduced to ashes in the blazing flames.