Simulate the universe, starting with speedrunning Greek.

Those are words that symbolize greatness, courage, strength, loyalty, and the most masculine qualities.

At this moment, the soldiers spontaneously shouted, placing the honor of being the uncrowned king on the crown of night!

Chapter 78 Until it burns out completely, you can change everything, but you can't save everyone.

Speaking of Roman names—

It consists of a given name, surname, and family name.

But above all that, there is another honor that can only be obtained through the recognition of countless people, not by oneself, and that is the title of respect and esteem!

Like a title, it possesses a unique appellation.

Like a supremely benevolent, virtuous, supremely powerful demon king—

The title is "Ultimate in benevolence and goodness, supreme in height and strength".

It is usually placed at the end of the name as an embellishment.

Take Liu Bei, the founding emperor of Shu Han, who was also known as Emperor Zhaolie of Han, as an example. According to Roman naming conventions, he was Bei, a member of the Han imperial family, and Liu, the Emperor Zhaolie of Han!

At this time, it was just a night for ordinary people, but because of a life-or-death gamble that spanned 25 kilometers, he was called "Magnus" by all those who voluntarily followed him.

This is the highest honor in everyone's hearts!

In the memory of the night, in history, only Pompey, the god of war among the Roman triumvirate, who suppressed the Sertorius Rebellion and helped Crassus suppress the Spartan uprising, had such a title in this era.

Who was Pompey?

If it weren't for Caesar's meteoric rise, he would have eventually taken control of almost all of Rome's military and political affairs.

It also carries the name of the Roman God of War, which Rome earned through its rise from decline to prosperity.

The last Roman god of war was Scipio the Younger, who personally destroyed the former Mediterranean hegemon—the powerful Carthage…

"magnus——!!!!!" As the warm and enthusiastic calls rang in my ears.

Night gazed at these lovely faces in a daze.

Are you addressing me in the name of greatness?

Seeing those genuine smiles, Ye couldn't help but smile too.

But after looking around and counting the remaining people, Ye's smile unconsciously disappeared.

"nine……"

"What?" People looked at Ye blankly, their faces still showing excitement.

"There were 43 people when we set off, and now there are only nine..." As Ye finished speaking, everyone fell into a deathly silence.

Their hearts became incredibly heavy and sorrowful.

Half of them perished on the other side of the Ebro River.

Another quarter of the people were forever buried in the river.

They didn't even die on the battlefield, and it's likely their remains will never be recovered.

“Ector, Cillian, Roberts Jr., Roberts Sr., Lucius, Halcan… (omitted)” Suddenly, one name after another burst from Night’s mouth.

Some people have noticed that he is reading out the names of the soldiers who have already sacrificed their lives.

Even among them were the names of many soldiers who had already died in the raid. The only time they initially exchanged names was on the night they first gathered together.

Many of them didn't even remember each other's names.

Unexpectedly, Ye could recite them all by heart, leaving people deeply shocked and saddened.

It was as if molten iron was flowing into blood; for a moment, people felt as if those names had come to life, and their souls, transformed into heavy beliefs, were still flowing within them.

Night: "Compared to the living, those fallen heroes are the true Magnus."

Finally—I hope you won't forget these names, and remember one thing...

Never lose your nobility.

And the words that the night spoke, faint yet seemingly etched into people's hearts, became the most sacred admonitions in their minds at this moment.

Is it sublime?

Recalling that scene of roaring and defending their dignity, it felt like they were living life for the first time. Everyone understood something in their hearts, and their gazes finally became resolute.

"We understand."

"Your will!"

"No, it is our shared will!"

After a short rest, the nine survivors continued on their way, intending to walk back to Rome.

However—the team soon suffered another blow.

It was neither man-made nor natural disaster, but rather the loss of physical strength due to hunger and the physical weakness caused by infected wounds.

Initially, three people did not make it through the first day and lost their breath forever in the middle of the night.

When they were terrified that death was about to come and take their souls away.

Some people wept uncontrollably—their last words before death were—

I am not afraid of dying on that battlefield; I think that way I would still be a hero.

He had even crossed the most difficult 25 kilometers of the Ebro River, yet he tragically died on the way back.

If a person were to leave this world naked with nothing to begin with, perhaps the pain wouldn't be so great.

In the midst of the joy of achieving glory, he was on the verge of death before he could even enjoy the cheers of countless Roman citizens or savor the fame of a hero.

The pain of dying from disease and hunger after obtaining something is even more agonizing for the soul.

Not long ago, everyone was laughing and joking, and their faces were filled with joy at having a new life.

Their radiant smiles after surviving the ordeal, and their hopeful eyes for the future, still seem vivid in my mind.

however--

That night, I thought the soldiers thought so.

The other person covered their face and wept, saying words that Ye Jiujiu could never forget.

What he was most worried about was letting Magnus, whom he admired, go on alone.

On that dark night, when the 39 men took their oath, they resolved to live, to follow the night back to Rome, to become the sword in his hand, and to change their ailing homeland.

however--

They are now exhausted and have no strength left to contribute to the night.

As if they all knew their lives were nearing their end, they were eager to rush to the nearest town or village to obtain food, fresh water, and medicine.

however--

Dragging their bodies, which were already nearing their limits, the group's journey was extremely slow.

Night, who possessed no medical skills or similar abilities, ultimately failed to save their lives.

The remaining few along the way either starved to death, died of thirst, or succumbed to disease and perished on Roman soil.

Even in death, they harbored a deep sense of resentment—

That is a scene that cannot be followed by the night, the day Rome was liberated, where countless civilians and soldiers cheered loudly in streets covered with flowers.

They thought they had long since become numb and tolerant of this terrible world, and no longer expected it to have even a day of future.

But the night gave them the same ideal—

Perhaps the night was simply meant to ignite their fighting spirit, to rouse their strong will to survive, and to fight their way out together.

However, everyone genuinely chose to believe that the night could also change everything.

The reason why the figure of a hero inspires desire, longing, and pursuit among the people is because of his power, which is strong enough to make the impossible possible.

The miracle of letting the flower of ideals bloom may lie hidden in those infinite possibilities!

When we finally saw the town...

At this point, only Night, Gracchus, and Karl remained alive.

But the moment they saw the town, not a single person showed any joy.

Karl's lips were incredibly dry and trembling...

"If only I could have gotten here ten minutes earlier..." he murmured. Not long ago, one of his brothers had died on his back because his wound had become infected, rotted, and infested with maggots. The pain was too much for him to bear.

In the end, the other person kept calling out his companion's name, shouting for water, and begging his partner to save him.

However, a life much younger than himself passed away before him, forever falling into eternal sleep.

The time difference was only ten minutes. If they had arrived here with the wounded ten minutes earlier...

The unruly veteran suddenly knelt down, tears of resentment streaming from his eyes.

At this moment, Gragu felt as if a fire was burning in his heart. He opened his mouth wide, trembling so much that he couldn't speak.

If it weren't for bringing him back to Rome, those people wouldn't have endured their severe injuries to carry him across the 25-kilometer-long river one by one.

He owes everyone a life.

And none of these people uttered a single word of complaint against him before they died; instead, they all gave their final testimonies.

He instructed the remaining survivors to protect Gracchus.

He was the hope for countless Roman soldiers to regain their lives and justice in the future.

People have such faith in and trust in themselves—

If there truly are gods in this world...

Tiberius prayed that, before his final flames were consumed, he would give his life in exchange for the warriors' eternal and peaceful rest.

May their souls be healed and may they never again suffer injustice in another world (the underworld).

Night: "Let's go..."

Go and do what we should do.

Just because someone survives doesn't mean they're truly alright.