Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Next comes the final trouble. Samael lowered his eyes and looked sadly to the east.

At this moment, Boudica approached the sand table and looked at his old friend with a worried expression.

"The Persian Empire is the most troublesome enemy. How do you plan to deal with it?"

According to the latest news from the Pantheon, the Persian Empire is expected to send an additional 100,000 troops, seemingly preparing for a major offensive.

With ample reserves and a vast territory, once the fighting begins, Rome, fighting on three fronts, will certainly be the first to be unable to sustain the protracted war.

Moreover, the Persian Empire had even deployed its Immortals and Meteor Legions, which were quite elite. Unless they were organized groups of Divine Blood Warriors, the regular Roman legions would have no chance against them.

Samael remained silent for a moment, his gaze sharp, before slowly speaking.

"I will personally lead the army on a distant expedition. As long as we can take down this nut first, the crises on both the northern and southern fronts will collapse on their own!"

Chapter Fifty-Two: A Species Even Worse Than Samael

Seeing that Samael's mind was made up and his gaze was firm, Boudica nodded slightly and said nothing more, choosing to trust him.

That being said, in reality, let alone quickly sweeping away the Persians, even the ancient serpent was unsure whether the eastern defense line could withstand the first wave of attacks from tens of thousands of undead soldiers and the Meteor Legion.

Admittedly, as a god, once he joins the battlefield, he can immediately turn the tide and even, with a little time, slaughter tens of thousands of undead soldiers.

However, in this war game dominated by humans, certain rules must be followed.

For a country, deities are equivalent to strategic nuclear weapons and are often used as a deterrent.

For example, in the upheaval at the high altar today, very few ordinary people actually died in the war of the gods; instead, the Meteor Legion and the Assassins caused the main casualties.

Therefore, even if such strategic nuclear weapons are displayed, they are intended to be used to counterbalance adversaries of equal strength, and cannot be easily used to kill ordinary soldiers on a large scale.

Otherwise, an unrestrained deity would be a terrible natural disaster for both the enemy and one's own side.

If it were to degenerate into a killing contest, the rate of human reproduction and the current number of humans might not be enough for the two gods to kill each other.

Of course, he did consider flipping the table.

However, the problem is that they only have one god on their side, while the other side has three.

If he were to attack the Immortals, Samael was certain that the next day he would hear news of the Pantheon and the entire city of Rome flying into the sky.

If you don't follow the rules, the other side can be even more unruly.

Besides, Cyrus could easily defeat one Cyrus, but who knows if slaughtering the Undead Army and the Meteor Legion would attract a large number of Persian gods to personally descend upon him.

In addition, there was a question that worried him the most: were the Persian gods really behind Cyrus?

Besides, whether he is a god or a human, he is ultimately not a ruthless executioner. Slaughtering more than 100,000 people with his own hands is not an easy thing to get over, both in terms of action and psychology. Not to mention that this may be a trap that will not help him and is waiting for him to take the bait.

In short, strategic nuclear weapons only have a deterrent effect before they are detonated.

If it really explodes, it will only drag the other side down with them.

His options were either to find Cyrus beforehand and kill him on the spot, thus causing internal strife in Persia, or to defeat the Persian army in a fair and square manner, thus deterring both the northern and southern fronts.

But no matter which path you choose, it's not easy to walk.

Compared to blindly venturing into the sinister land of Mesopotamia to confront the well-prepared Cyrus, the latter was far more reliable.

Unfortunately, the Third Greco-Persian War trapped his Viking fleet in Greece; otherwise, he could have used this opportunity to break the deadlock.

After considering it all, Samael still had no clue.

Sigh, things happened so suddenly, I wasn't prepared at all, I can only take it one step at a time and figure out a way to adapt to the situation.

The ancient serpent's thoughts raced, and he sighed inwardly. With one hand, he rubbed his throbbing temples, while with the other, he repeatedly deduced the course of the battle on the sand table.

"I'm returning to Britain to prepare for war. Take care of yourself..."

At this moment, Boudica, who was standing in the courtyard, saw that Samael had fallen into deep thought again, and turned to leave.

"and many more!"

"what happened?"

The Queen of Victory heard the call, stopped, and turned to look at her old friend.

"I suddenly remembered there's something else I need you to do..."

"Yeah, I'm listening."

"..."

Samael tapped his fingertips on the British Isles, his eyes gleaming, and after a moment of hesitation, he looked at Boudica and began to ponder.

"Send people to search for Avalon Island, and the six legendary fairy clans of Wind, Earth, Fang, Wing, Mirror, and Rain that are said to exist in Britain. If you find any news, do not take any rash action, and report to me immediately!"

"Avalon Island...the fairy clan?"

Boudica paused for a moment, looking bewildered, clearly not familiar with this so-called term.

"Your local Druid communities might have some relevant records. Go back and try them out. There's no rush. Just do your best..."

Samael hesitated for a moment before giving a vague response. The Queen of Victory did not ask any further questions, but nodded seriously, repeatedly pondering the two words uttered by the ancient serpent, clearly keeping the matter in mind.

"Old friend, take care on your journey..."

A moment later, Samael rose and led Boudica onto the dragon beast kept by the Pantheon, watching her ride her mount into the clouds and gradually disappear into the dark sky.

In the biting wind, the ancient serpent stood for quite some time, its expression, reflected in the moonlight, somewhat uncertain.

To be honest, he didn't want Boudica to go looking for the legendary island of Avalon and dealing with these so-called fairies.

Fairies are a real species with an innate affinity for nature, which is why they are closely associated with the Druid sect, which reveres nature. A certain white-haired succubus who is a great sage of the Druid sect is a hybrid of human and fairy.

They belong to the same fantasy species as dragons, possessing great strength and long lifespans.

Legend has it that many pranks committed by fairies have occurred in the Scotland area. Some of the more well-known examples include taking children into the forest for a week, replacing human babies with fairy children, and placing rabbit corpses at the doorsteps of human homes.

In these seemingly unrelated pranks, one can discern some common traits among fairies.

They have no concept of gain or loss; they only do things for fun, not for any result afterward.

Fairies admire beauty, love trendy things, and believe in hedonism, but they easily become bored. Like a swarm of noisy bees and butterflies, they constantly search for "flower stamens" that interest them, and once they have sucked all the sap from them, they scatter in all directions.

They can enjoy good purely and innocently, and human notions of good and evil do not apply to them.

Take Merlin, for example. He lives by consuming human dreams and enjoys listening to human stories and admiring the patterns woven from human destinies during his travels.

No matter how tragic the fate of the observed, Merlin rarely intervened. Most of the time, he simply observed with interest from the perspective of an outsider, lacking the necessary empathy.

However, perhaps because this guy still had half human blood, when he pushed the swordswoman he had raised to the throne of Britain, and witnessed the Knight King named Artoria's Round Table Knights fall apart and the country be lost, and the child was also walking step by step toward the end of her fate at Camlann Hill, the so-called "having fun" actually made him feel an indelible sense of guilt. So this half-demon locked himself up in a high tower, forever isolated, and carried out a prisoner-like punishment.

If Merlin were a pure-blooded fairy, even if he witnessed Artoria die before his eyes, "she" would most likely have squatted down with great interest, watching Artoria breathe her last. (Note: Easter egg, guess for yourself.)

In short, if you had to describe most fairies in one word, it would be "scum"!

This level of despicable behavior even puts Samael, who is often inhuman, to shame.

Samael really didn't want to deal with this little bastard unless absolutely necessary.

However, the progenitor of the six major fairy clans is closely connected with a certain major event. Although history has changed, it is still best to make preparations just in case.

Chapter 53 Attempting to Get Away with Cuteness

"boom!"

In the royal council chamber, Nero, who was happily munching on grapes, was taken aback by the massive pile of documents, half a person's height, that Samael had brought and suddenly placed in front of him.

"I've taken care of the more important and crucial government affairs. As for the remaining trivial and minor matters, you can use them to practice. If you don't understand anything, just contact me."

Samael clapped his hands, glanced at Nero who had been slacking off for half the day, and replied irritably.

pat...

The tyrant froze, the half-bunch of grapes he was about to put in his mouth fell onto the table, and he stiffly lowered his neck. Seeing the workload of at least several hundred tasks, he swallowed hard, raised his hand to look at Samael, his blinking emerald eyes filled with cuteness and innocence.

"I suddenly remembered..."

No! You don't want anything!

"You're not going anywhere until this is all sorted out. And afterwards, I'll review your application. Whether you get into bed tonight is up to you."

Samael covered Nero's lips and teeth expressionlessly, his gaze meaningful, a sinister smirk spreading across his face.

"Ouch, my head... my head... my head hurts so much..."

However, after being forced to read just a few lines, the tyrant turned pale, sweat beaded on his forehead, and he collapsed listlessly to the ground, clutching his head.

"...A chronic headache?"

"Yes, it's an old problem. Every time I think about something, I get a terrible headache and can't concentrate. It's so annoying! I really want to help, but this ailment always prevents me from fully utilizing my talents!"

"Oh……"

Samael looked at Nero, who was slumped over the table, his body curled up, looking pitiful yet defiant. His snake-like eyes narrowed, and he looked at Nero with a half-smile, his voice trailing off.

Nero glanced over and noticed that the documents on the table were moved aside by a pair of fingers, and he shouted even more excitedly.

The ancient serpent bent down, picked up the documents, turned to look at the Valkyrie waiting beside it, and spoke in a sinister tone.

"Brynhildr, hang her upside down outside the door, let her get some fresh air and calm her down!"

"Snapped!"

But before the Valkyrie could move forward, Nero, who had just been so desperate, suddenly sprang up with boundless energy, grabbed the pile of documents tightly, and hurriedly spoke.

"It's alright, I can overcome this minor problem and get right back to work!"

"Is it okay if I force you?"

Samael retorted with "Nuclear Goodness," and the tyrant shook his head like a rattle-drum, his eyes shining brightly, his small face full of righteous indignation.

"Then, Brunhilde, you stay here and keep an eye on our Emperor. If he shows any signs of being absent-minded, drowsy, slumped over, or listless, immediately hang him upside down outside."

I heard from Odin that this method works quite well and keeps one's mind clear at all times.

Just before stepping out the door, the ancient serpent reminded the Valkyrie to "take good care" of the patient.

"As you command, my lord!"

Brunhilde, standing below the court, nodded solemnly, her eyes fixed intently on Nero before her desk.

Seeing this, the tyrant hurriedly lowered his head and, with a pained expression, began to write furiously on a pile of documents and miscellaneous tasks.

Seeing that Nero, who had tried to fool everyone, had been thoroughly subdued by him, Samael nodded in satisfaction, leisurely walked out of the palace, and headed towards the Pantheon in the thick of the night.

Along the way, the waning crescent moon cast a cold, clear light, and dappled shadows stretched out everywhere. The Palatine Mountains, which had been washed away by divine power several times during the day, were now silent, with birdsong and insect chirps falling silent. An eerie stillness permeated the air, with only the sound of patrolling soldiers' armor rubbing against each other and the sound of their footsteps bringing a sliver of life.

However, as Samael observed along the way, he noticed that their spirits carried a hint of dejection. The once bustling Pantheon now appeared extremely deserted, with only a few priests responsible for its care and maintenance.

It seems that Romulus's death in battle had an impact on Rome that was not only a loss of military strength, but also a collapse of spiritual beliefs.

The ancient serpent sighed, and as the main gate of the Pantheon came into view, it immediately suppressed its distracting thoughts and stepped inside.

The white-robed priests, knowing Samael's identity, naturally dared not stop him and respectfully led this special visitor to see various parts of the Pantheon.

More than ten hours have passed since the fierce battle during the day. Although the Pantheon has been restored to its former glory thanks to magical repairs, the divine power it has lost and the magical array that once cost countless manpower and resources to set up are difficult to replenish. At present, it is just an empty shell.

Samael walked through the twelve principal temples of Zeus, Hera, Apollo, and others in turn, secretly arousing his divine power in an attempt to resonate with the divine will remaining in the temples.

However, whether it was due to the need for a specific method or some other reason, none of the former Olympian gods responded.

However, it makes sense, as the divine kingdoms and fairylands in various mythological systems are not so easy to enter.

In Norse mythology, even he, to return from Midgard to the Golden Palace, needed to use runes to summon the guardian god Heimdall and open the Rainbow Bridge to connect the two worlds.

But Rome is in dire straits now. Could you please give us some feedback on whether we can act in this urgent situation?

Just as Samael was becoming increasingly frustrated by his lack of success, he finally felt a trace of divine energy emanating from the temple of Ares as he entered it.

However, this resonance is extremely weak, and it is easy to miss if you are not careful.

Could it be that even Ares is in such a state?

The ancient snake frowned and immediately followed the scent, searching forward.

However, after searching around, Samael was shocked to discover that the resonance did not come from the idol, but from under a stone slab on the ground.

Confused, he casually wiped away the defensive magic array on it, pried open the barrier, and pulled out a heavy, long bronze box from the dark groove.

Brushing away the layer of dust revealed the lifelike outer relief.

The scene is a turbulent sea. Above, Olympian gods wielding swords, shields, and spears, along with numerous muscular human heroes, are protected by nymphs and drive chariots toward the whirlpool-like eye of the sea.