While the Olympus army and Heracles' division of the War God army were sandwiching and encircling the Snake-Footed Giants, a player who had been eliminated by the version, a group of invaders quietly arrived outside Athens, located in the heart of the Greek World, far behind the Olympus Gods.
These invaders were all tall and burly, with strange appearances, and the weapons they held were diverse in style and quality. It was clear that the main body of this army was not the humans now spread throughout the Greek World, but a group of non-human races still roaming the land.
Moreover, they were all Man-eating species.
This group of Man-eating species wore crude, makeshift armor and carried banners that read "Death to Athena" or "Restore Olympus," but they clearly didn't know what they were carrying. They simply gazed at Athens in the distance with pairs of eager, crimson eyes.
They were a part of Ares' War God army, but although they were part of the War God army, they were merely fierce beasts captured and reared by Ares.
Anyway, Athena had, in Cadmus's time, thrown many Man-eating monsters onto the land in his name to try and tarnish his reputation. When Ares discovered this, he simply turned the tables, issuing a bounty in temples with his statues, inviting warriors from all over the world to hunt these Man-eating monsters. Those who succeeded would receive his blessings and rewards.
Gradually, the number of these Man-eating species accumulated. Initially, Ares provided these monsters to Hecate for experiments and amusement, but later, Hecate lost interest in the "Man-eating species" subject, while the number of Man-eating species continued to grow. Ares felt it would be wasteful to simply dispose of them, so for future considerations, he sustained their lives with magic and created a Noble Phantasm that could control them, using them as a subordinate force.
Therefore, although this army of Man-eating species was a part of the War God army, their status was merely equivalent to the self-destructing trucks in Red Alert, or the Banelings of the Zerg in StarCraft; they were disposable consumables. They were kept in a state of hunger by Ares, and their physical condition was maintained by magic, making them a group of energetic and extremely hungry Man-eating monsters. Once released from their cages, they would become a terrifying force, devouring every human they could see.
Strangely, the leader of this army of Man-eating species was a tall human. He had shed his animal skin clothes, put on an ill-fitting armor, and stood at the front of the ranks holding a horn.
This person was Orion. Although he was a demigod born of Poseidon, his mother was human, so these Man-eating species would also covet his body. And if they swarmed him like ants, Orion might actually fall here and become their food.
However, because of the Noble PhantasmAres bestowed upon him, Orion stood here fearlessly, and these Man-eating species would not attack him.
Perhaps due to his sufficient confidence in his martial arts, Orion remained unfazed even when standing before a group of Man-eating species who saw him as a juicy piece of meat. He cupped his hand over his eyes, using his excellent hunter's vision to survey the current defensive situation of Athens from a distance.
It was clear that because of the distance from the battlefield, the people in Athens lived without much tension. Although the Snake-Footed Giants had visited here some time ago under the guidance of a dog-headed strategist, and even almost destroyed Athena's Parthenon, because this was Athena's iconic city, the Heavenly God army quickly descended and drove the invading Snake-Footed Giants back.
This incident also caused the people of Athens to become even more superstitious about the power of the gods. They firmly believed that even if they encountered an unstoppable enemy, the great goddess Athena would descend to help them. Therefore, unlike the Spartans, these people were not martial and had no intention of becoming stronger.
Aside from some thinkers who once lived in this city, the people currently residing in Athens are a bunch of fanatical followers of Athena. Those thinkers were actually quietly moved to other cities by Ares at the beginning of the War, so currently, this Athens is a target that Ares's legion can attack without any scruples.
"So when can we attack that human city?"
Beside Orion, a tall Man-eating monster with bird feathers and winged claws swallowed its saliva and spoke in human tongue, pressing its "commander," Orion, in a low voice:
"I can barely hold back!"
"Don't rush, it's not time yet. And you can hold on a bit longer. Releasing your desires only when you can no longer bear it is the most satisfying."
Orion spoke words with a strange flavor, then carefully surveyed Athens. After a thorough look, he slowly raised his hand, signaling the Man-eating monsters to prepare, only after confirming that Athens was indeed as Ares had described: its defenses were weak, its soldiers lax, and it lacked any fighting spirit.
When the bright moon in the sky hid behind the dark clouds, and darkness completely enveloped the earth, Orion finally raised the horn-like Noble Phantasm in his hand and blew it with all his might.
Accompanied by the wailing of the horn, the defending soldiers of Athens were startled to find many shadowy monsters appearing in the wilderness outside the city.
"Enemy attack!"
He yelled at the top of his lungs, but by then, terrifying monsters had already scaled the city wall. One after another, dark monsters pounced on the guards on the wall, and then more monsters leaped up from behind them.
These monsters tore the guards on the ground to shreds, and in the darkness, the sickening sounds of chewing and swallowing immediately echoed, leaving the guard frozen in place, his hands and feet growing cold.
Soon, he too was pinned down by a pouncing, terrifying monster, and with a tearing pain through his body, the guard's consciousness gradually faded away.
By the time the Athenians finally realized they were under attack and lit the signal fires, the northern wall of Athens had already completely fallen.
Countless Man-eating monsters poured into the city. They knocked over the signal fires, wreaking havoc and devouring the Athena faithful within the city. They laughed heartily and reveled in the city, loudly cursing the gods in the sky. Some cursed Ares, who had imprisoned them, while others cursed Athena, who had cast them into the world.
Just then, a golden light suddenly flashed in the sky.
The clouds seemed to be parted by an invisible hand, and a group of fully armored warriors, wielding sharp weapons, appeared among the clouds, looking down at Athens, which resembled a living hell below.
In the chaos, someone in Athens looked up, saw this scene, and then exclaimed:
"It's the Goddess! The Goddess's divine army has come to save us!"