The crescent moon dipped westward as the night slowly faded, while the firewood burning at the center of the camp crackled and popped.
By the warmth of the flames, with fresh mushroom soup and crisp slices of bread laid out, and a few rounds of wine down their throats, the easygoing and easily satisfied Jaguar quickly struck up friendships with everyone in the camp. Her rambling, offbeat chatter livened up the otherwise tense atmosphere.
Amid laughter and cheerful noise, the forest goddess, long stifled over the years, seemed to finally vent everything in one go. On a whim, she waved her wine bottle, cheeks flushed, and shouted loudly:
"Down with Kukulkan's tyranny! Glory to the Jaguars!"
But as a cold, piercing gaze swept across her from the shadows of the trees, the increasingly rowdy Jaguar instantly felt a chill crawl up her spine. Her neck shrank reflexively, and with a strong survival instinct, she quickly dropped back onto her rock. Grabbing a wine bottle, she hooked an arm around Tamamo-no-Mae, who was about to stand, and pulled her close with a grin that made the fox's fur stand on end.
"Come on, come on, I scared you earlier, but Jaguar here doesn't mind! Let's have a few drinks and bond!"
You might not mind, but I do!
Wait, no, that's not the point! Who wants to drink with you?!
"I need to go relieve myself!"
Tamamo-no-Mae clenched her teeth and tried to pry off the Jaguar's arm.
"What a coincidence, me too."
"Forget it… suddenly not in the mood anymore…"
Watching the two figures disappear deeper into the forest, Tamamo-no-Mae sat back down with a dark expression. Just as she tried to take a deep breath and calm herself—
A freshly opened wine jar was thrust right in front of her.
"Then let's keep drinking?"
The Jaguar blinked with sparkling eyes, licking her lips with clear anticipation.
A vein throbbed on Tamamo-no-Mae's forehead at first, but then her expression suddenly softened into a radiant smile.
"Sure, let's keep drinking!"
Drink, drink, drink! Back in the day, I could down a thousand cups without getting drunk. I'll drink you under the table, you stupid Jaguar!
By the firelight, the sly fox accepted the wine jar with a sweet smile, her golden eyes flickering with dark intent.
...
By the riverside, the water murmured softly. Two figures walked and paused along the way, chatting idly, until they eventually sat across from each other on the soft grass.
Compared to the relaxed calm after Kukulkan's return, Samael's brief and simplified account, though casually told, still carried an unmistakable undercurrent of danger.
Kukulkan rested her chin on her hand, listening with clear interest. Gradually, the two gained a rough understanding of each other's experiences over the years.
As the conversation neared its end, Kukulkan looked at Samael with a mix of admiration and something more. She lifted a hand to her cheek, her expression turning faintly melancholic, almost self-pitying.
"Uruk's little brother has grown up. He doesn't need big sister's affection anymore. How troublesome…"
Why do all you women love doing this?
Samael pressed his forehead, both amused and exasperated by her half-joking tone, and played along.
"In my heart, big sister will always be the most reliable!"
A top-tier teammate who can fight, tank, deal damage, and heal. At the very least, far better than certain useless goddesses who always drop the ball at critical moments.
"In front of you, I'd rather never grow up!"
Honestly, if I grew up, who'd sign up for that kind of treatment? Besides, liking older women is a perfectly valid preference.
The certain shameless snake kept his inner thoughts to himself while maintaining a serious face.
"Oh my, that's not fair. You're still hitting all of big sister's weak spots."
Kukulkan's body seemed to radiate warmth as she twisted shyly, her beautiful face flushed red. She covered her face with both hands, but her fingers parted just enough to reveal those teasing, sparkling eyes.
Figures… women really do love putting on a show.
The familiar feeling made Samael silently complain about Kukulkan's mischievous personality.
But soon, the Ancient Serpent composed himself, his expression turning serious.
"Speaking of which, big sister, your timing couldn't be better. I've run into a bit of trouble and could really use your help."
At the same time, Samael picked up a branch and, with a few simple strokes, sketched out the situation in Greece.
"Thermopylae?"
As the discussion turned serious, Kukulkan lowered her hands and sat upright. With a clear, sharp gaze, she quickly pieced things together and grasped the heart of the issue.
"Exactly. If we lose this natural stronghold, the Persian army will be able to march straight through, crushing every fortress along the way, driving deep into the heart of Athens, and ultimately dismantling the entire Pan-Hellenic League. All the advantage we gained at sea will vanish!"
Samael nodded solemnly, his brow tightly furrowed.
In truth, the situation at Thermopylae was far more critical than Queen Gorgo or Helen had imagined, and far more dangerous.
If this chokepoint fell, it would effectively mean that more than half of Greece would be trampled under Persian forces. At that point, the land war would become extremely unfavorable.
Historically, once Thermopylae fell, the city-states surrendered one after another. The Persian army quickly seized two-thirds of Greece, unstoppable in its advance, and even Athens was burned to the ground.
During that time, the Athenian commander Themistocles used the precious window to abandon fixed defenses, evacuating civilians to Salamis and nearby waters. Using that as a base, he made a desperate gamble and launched the naval battle at Salamis, barely turning the tide.
In other words, in the real course of the Greco-Persian War, defeat came first on land, followed by a desperate gamble at sea that secured a narrow victory.
But because of his own interference, the Egyptians stabbed Cyrus in the back, causing the Battle of Salamis to erupt early. With forces scattered, its intensity and outcome were far inferior to what history recorded, and Persia's main force remained largely intact.
The delayed land war then unfolded.
However, having already taken a beating from the Greek fleet, even the Persians would learn from it. Combined with various other factors, a repeat of Salamis was simply impossible.
That meant Thermopylae had now replaced the Bay of Salamis as the decisive battlefield. If it fell, there would likely be no coming back.
Drawing on his foresight and long-honed strategic judgment, Samael laid out all his concerns to Kukulkan.
"So the problem now is this: Rome is tied up with its own troubles, Athens is rotten from within, neither can be relied on. You can't leave, and you don't have troops you can mobilize. There's no way to break the situation at Thermopylae."
Kukulkan rubbed her chin, thinking it through.
"Mm. My original plan was to clean up Athens first, then contact the Egyptians, gather forces from all sides, and strike at the Persian rear by sea to support Thermopylae."
Samael nodded, but his finger tracing the route halted midway, his expression darkening.
"But the Persian army isn't what it used to be. There are… unfamiliar elements among them. I'm worried Thermopylae will fall before I can even set out. If that happens, everything is over."
"You're thinking… mobilizing troops?"
Kukulkan asked, thoughtful.
"No. There's no time. And small numbers won't matter, while large-scale mobilization takes too long. I don't have the authority or the legitimacy to command troops right now."
"Then what do we do?"
"I plan to… send a general."
Samael looked at Kukulkan meaningfully, a faint smile forming on his lips.
"Just a reminder. The commander at Thermopylae right now is Leonidas."
I see.
Kukulkan immediately understood. The look she gave him was filled with approval and admiration.
"No time to waste. We split up now. I'll handle Athens, and you go to Thermopylae and join Leonidas."
As he spoke, Samael placed a black scale etched with runes into Kukulkan's hand.
"Take this. It'll help him recover his memories of Uruk…"
For those bound by fate, their time in Uruk was little more than a hazy dream.
But Samael, with his authority over destiny and the power of the "First Cause," could intervene and awaken those memories.
Once that happened, Leonidas, armed with the full experience of both the Uruk campaign and the Battle of Thermopylae, would awaken to his true potential.
As Kukulkan gathered herself, preparing to call the Jaguar and depart at once, Samael hesitated for a moment, then added with a calculating glint:
"Oh, and remind our old friend to watch for the Persians using the nearby mountain paths to flank from the rear. Even if he discovers it, there's no need to expose it. He can turn it against them."
Even if Leonidas regained his memories and already knew how Thermopylae fell, a reminder wouldn't hurt.
"As you command, my king…"
Kukulkan winked teasingly, then let out a sharp whistle, summoning the Quetzalcoatlus. Grabbing the alcohol-reeking Jaguar, she leapt skyward and, under the faint glow of night, swept across the forest canopy at full speed.