The calm of the Mediterranean Sea was heightened by the morning sunlight.
The Roman military camp on the shores of the sea was completely devastated.
The clone soldiers patrolled the entire camp, searching for possible survivors.
The bodies of the soldiers were thrown into one place and piled up like a small mountain.
The clone soldiers were in charge of collecting weapons, armor, and every valuable object from the dead.
With constant experience, Septimus's army became very skilled in the processing of corpses.
The ships suffered little damage, and the clone soldiers quickly took control of the fleet.
With the destruction of the camp of the admiral of Campania, the clone army now had a fleet in the Mediterranean and was now capable of trading abroad.
On the other hand, on the outskirts of the city of Naples, after two days of intense work, Septimus's army built almost 100 siege machines.
With the sound of horns, Septimus's army advanced like a tide and attacked the city.
Arrows, javelins, and ballista spears rained down on the heads of the black-armored soldiers, causing a large number of casualties.
The clone soldiers returned the attack with catapult fire.
The battering rams slowly approached the gates of the city of Naples.
The clone soldiers operating the battering rams were attacked by a large number of arrows.
The armor that Septimus had put effort into creating could not withstand the intensity of the city's defensive attack.
Many clone soldiers were riddled with arrows or pinned to the ground by a spear.
The stones thrown from the walls of the city of Naples caused many blunt injuries to the clone army.
When the battering rams managed to strike the city gates, the defending Roman soldiers poured hot oil over the clones in the front lines.
Septimus frowned as he felt the pain of skin scorched by the oil, and with a gesture of his hand, the clones burned by the oil were killed.
The siege intensified, but the clone soldiers, like an army that knows no fear, did not surrender and continued attacking.
The clone soldiers maintained a typical tight Roman formation with shields raised while they blocked the gates of the city of Naples.
The clone soldiers operating the battering rams suffered constant casualties, but without showing fear, they advanced and took the places of the fallen soldiers.
The desperate attack of the Roman defenders did not stop the determination of the clone army.
Three hours passed, and the first gate of the city of Naples broke in half, leaving space for three men to pass through at the same time.
The clone soldiers, like predators, entered the small opening of the city gate.
The Roman soldiers on the other side of the gate attacked the clone soldiers with spears and swords.
The narrow space quickly filled with black- and red-armored soldiers pushing against each other.
Septimus deployed 500 soldiers to continue the pressure.
Quickly, the other gates also began to give way under the constant blows of the battering rams.
The scene of the first opened gate was repeated at the other gates.
Septimus's clone army had an absolute individual advantage compared to the newly recruited Roman militia, but the narrow space prevented the clone soldiers from displaying their skills.
Combat at all the gates turned into a contest of strength between both armies.
Some very unfortunate Roman or clone soldiers slipped and were crushed or died of suffocation due to the dense mass of soldiers pushing against each other.
Septimus could only sigh at the unforeseen situation.
A group of clone soldiers carrying ladders approached the less guarded sections of the wall and began to climb quickly.
Although the Roman soldiers noticed the black-armored soldiers climbing with ladders, they did not raise the alarm.
The Roman centurions defending the city trusted that they could eliminate a few enemy soldiers climbing the ladders.
Another reason for not raising the alarm was the lack of defending soldiers. Most of the Roman soldiers were protecting the city gates.
The Roman soldiers defending the city had not witnessed the combat skill of the clone army and underestimated them.
When the first clone soldier came within 2 meters of the top of the wall, he was met with a spear.
The spear pierced the clone soldier's arm, and with the Roman soldier's eyes filled with surprise, the black-armored soldier leaped and grabbed the Roman soldier's arm, causing both to fall from the wall.
When the clone soldiers found themselves at a total disadvantage, they sought ways to launch suicidal attacks against the Roman soldiers.
With the suicidal attacks of the clone soldiers, the Roman army on the city wall began to diminish.
With the first clone soldier on top of the wall, the situation of the Roman army began to worsen rapidly.
The newly recruited Roman soldiers were no match for the clone elite and were easily killed.
The black-armored soldiers quickly occupied the city wall.
The prefect of the city of Naples looked on in terror from a distance at the black-armored army occupying the city walls.
The morale of the Roman army began to decline, and the soldiers abandoned their weapons and fled.
The nobles, military tribunes, and centurions also abandoned any pretense of defense and fled.
The clone soldiers at the gates quickly gained momentum and entered the city.
The massacre of Capua was repeated once again in the city of Naples.
The cries of war and the laments of women and children were heard throughout the city of Naples.
Septimus watched as the city was consumed by the smell of blood.
The clone soldiers spread throughout the city of Naples like a plague.
A dozen clone soldiers dragged a middle-aged man.
Septimus coldly observed the middle-aged man who held the position of prefect of Naples.
"I beg you, punish only me, do not kill my family," said the man as his red eyes shed tears.
Septimus looked at the man coldly and, without saying a word, cut off his head with his sword.
The heads of the prefect of Capua and Naples would be impaled on spears and would adorn the mutilated body of Consul Scipio.
Consul Scipio was still alive, but his limbs had been cut off, and he was tied to a post while a carriage moved him as if he were a living standard.
The previous arrogance of Consul Lucius Scipio had disappeared, and only a crippled man with an expressionless gaze and eyes that longed for death remained.
The massacre and reorganization of the city of Naples lasted four full days.
The city of Naples had between 25,000 and 30,000 people, and Septimus's massacre of men and the elderly eliminated more than half of the population.
Following old tradition, Septimus's army severed the heads of the dead and impaled them on spears outside the city.
Nearly 20,000 heads were cut off.
Septimus's army of 15,000 soldiers was reduced to 11,578 soldiers.
Most of the clone soldiers died while attempting to besiege the city.
Septimus planned to rest in the city of Naples until he recovered the lost soldiers and initiate a new purge throughout the entire region of Campania.
The weapons and armor collected from the Roman army, although they did not compare in quality to the black armor, were sufficient to equip 12 or 13 complete legions.
The 12 or 13 clone legions would have the same equipment as the average Roman soldier. But for Septimus, there was no disadvantage.
Septimus's army would consist of 5 legions with high-quality military equipment and 13 legions with standard Roman equipment.
Septimus's military strength would be sufficient to rival Sulla.