Achoo!
Not long after leaving the Norse camp, Samael felt a sudden chill run through him for some reason and sneezed hard.
Who's talking about me this time?
The Ancient Serpent glanced at the sun hanging high overhead, scratched his head, and muttered with a frown.
Then his gaze crossed the ridge and fell on Tanbei Canyon, where clouds and mist coiled around layers of light bands. His brow tightened.
It must be that old bastard Marduk!
Damn Persians. They still won't settle down!
Hmph. Then I'll tighten the net faster!
Samael's expression turned cold, and a grim killing intent appeared in his eyes. Then he lowered his head and walked toward the Greek camp where the army had gathered.
Across Thermopylae, rows upon rows of tents rippled like white waves in the sea breeze. With the war situation stabilized, the soldiers changing shifts and the heroes taking turns resting had each found their own way to pass the time.
For example, amid the crowd's cheers and encouragement, the muscular Ajax the Great and Ajax the Lesser were smashing their shields against each other in a contest of strength.
Pollux and Jason were suppressing their Mana and engaging in a pure sword duel.
Atalanta, Orion, and Euryale had gathered on a cliff, competing to shoot down the rampaging sea beasts below.
A group of scarred Spartan strongmen sat around a wooden barrel, taking turns challenging Leonidas, who was only using one hand, to arm-wrestling matches. Whoever lost had to drink.
Bang!
With a dull impact, a Divine Blood Warrior was thrown cleanly out of the flat arena by a beautiful grappling technique and immediately fainted. Around the arena, nearly a hundred unlucky challengers were already lying all over the place.
"First round, Kuku wins!"
Below the stage, Jaguar Warrior, dressed in a mascot suit, climbed onto the ring, raised Quetzalcoatl's fist high, and excitedly announced the result. Then she dramatically wiped away tears, somehow radiating the bitterness of someone who had suffered long oppression. Leaping up and down in deep sympathy, she bared her fangs and shouted in a piercing voice.
"Humanity has already been utterly defeated! My little ones, don't stop! Muster your courage and challenge a Divine Spirit, then let Kuku beat you to tears beautifully! Even if the world is this cruel, still…"
Boom!
However, a single sideways punch sent the usually brainless and excitable Jaguar Warrior flying far away. Her head plunged into the rock wall on one side, and her lower body dangled limply.
"Bring me another hundred! Struggle freely, resist freely, and then freely get flattened by me! From now on, big sister here will be a little shy… I'll only use the strength of an ordinary person. I promise.
"Come on, sweat as much as you like. Let's have a clash of bodies and show the fierce matchup between Mexican wrestling and Greek Pankration!"
Kuku smiled happily and opened her arms, welcoming the Greek soldiers' challenges. Then, relying on pure technique alone, she threw them down one after another.
Although every challenger who stepped onto the stage failed without exception, as a reward for their courage, they more or less touched upon a deeper essence of combat technique. Because of that, the crowd of muscular strongmen signed up eagerly.
As for those who were eliminated, they grabbed bread and meat, drank strong liquor to their hearts' content, threw their arms around each other's shoulders and cheered, or wrestled in the mud, venting their abundant energy as much as they liked.
To be fair, the physical quality and individual combat ability of Greek soldiers were indeed far stronger than the infantry of the Roman Empire. But they lacked coordination and experience in large-scale joint operations between city-states. Even with first-rate Heroic Spirits, they were also far too dependent on the personal might of those powerful individuals. In terms of the discipline and standards of a regular army, there was still a considerable gap between them and the Roman legions.
That was why, after the Age of the Gods faded and the age of Heroic Spirits and gods ended, Athens and Sparta, despite once possessing powerful armies, declined. The Greek city-states gradually became a garden with its gates wide open to the Mediterranean, conquered one after another by the rising Macedon and Rome.
It was much like what Napoleon had described during his 1788 expedition to Egypt. "Two Mamluks can definitely defeat three French soldiers. One hundred French soldiers and one hundred Mamluks are evenly matched. Three hundred French soldiers can usually defeat three hundred Mamluks. And one thousand French soldiers can always defeat fifteen hundred Mamluks."
In the future, if the Greek city-states could not unite and form a unified foundation, they were destined to be conquered.
The Ancient Serpent shook his head slightly. But that surge of emotion lasted only a moment before fading away. He turned his head aside, looking with interest at the Macedonian soldiers drilling nearby.
The solemn warriors in the front rows held spears of different lengths level, allowing the spearheads of six rows to protrude at the front. They advanced toward the enemy like a wall of thorns. As they moved in neat lines, their unified footsteps and sharp spearpoints were enough to make anyone feel dread.
The Macedonian spear was the longest spear widely used in the ancient world. The shortest were two meters long, while the longest reached six or seven meters. The shafts were made from hard cornel wood, and most spearheads were metal. The long spear was one of the main weapons equipped by Macedonian heavy infantry, and within the Macedonian phalanx, its power reached the peak of ancient warfare.
If he remembered correctly, it was this thing, combined with the Macedonian phalanx, that defeated the Athenians.
But fortune always changed hands. The famed Macedonian phalanx would ultimately be defeated by the Roman legions.
As for Greece, history had long since left no stage for it.
The Ancient Serpent looked quietly toward the red-haired youth who was still training the Macedonians in formation coordination even during rest time, and a strange expression crossed his face.
Honestly, Alexander the Great was much more handsome when he was young. He really went downhill after growing up.
Samael shook his head. Having grown used to seeing historical figures, he no longer felt much urge to rush over and make connections early. He would just let things take their course.
Whoosh!
Just as the Ancient Serpent continued exploring the Greek camp and greeting old friends from the past, a handsome young man with pale green hair and a scarf around his neck sprinted wildly in his direction.
"Bastard, don't run!"
At the same time, a middle-aged man with messy brown hair, a full beard, and a completely weary air chased after him with a savage expression, spear in hand. Seeing that the green-haired fellow was about to run out of sight, he threw the spear forward with all his strength.
The green-haired handsome man instinctively knocked the spear aside and continued running for his life. Samael looked at the weapon that had landed at his feet, its shaft still trembling, and his face darkened.
Damn it, are you trying to assassinate your king?
"Sorry, brother. I'll buy you a drink later!"
The green-haired handsome man gave him an apologetic look and casually made that promise. Then he jumped straight toward the sea, fleeing over the waves into the distance.
"Unbroken, unshattered, unbent. My spear can pierce through all things! Crush him, Indestructible Ultimate Spear!"
In the next instant, the stubbled man who had caught up pulled the spear from the ground and threw it forward.
But there was no way it could catch that green-haired fellow, who ran faster than a rabbit.
The great Greek hero Achilles and the Trojan defender Hektor. Those two old enemies still haven't settled down…
Samael recognized them both. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and he could not quite understand how Hektor had been summoned over.
"That? It's because that guy abducted the girl named Briseis when he left Thetis Island."
Caesar, who had once gone to Achilles for aid, commented from beside him with obvious glee.
Briseis… wasn't she the Trojan slave girl who once caused Agamemnon and Achilles to fall out?
And that woman is Hektor's cousin too! You bastard! You really dared to flirt with her? No wonder he's trying to kill you!
Former mortal enemies had now become brother-in-law and brother-in-law? What a mess…
Samael watched the two of them chase each other across the sea and was left speechless.