Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

The girl immediately raised her pretty face, blinked her bright eyes, and responded with a sorrowful expression.

Suck...

Samael vaguely heard some suspicious sound. He glanced down at the pink hair, the charming and sharp chin, and the innocent blinking golden eyes. He couldn't help but turn his head away, his lips twitching slightly in the shadows.

You're a little too skilled at this job.

Furthermore, are you sure you're repaying a debt of gratitude, or are you repaying kindness with enmity and simply looking for a meal ticket?

Chapter 100: The Three Heroes of India vs. The Three Heroes of Thermopylae (1/5)

On the wide official road, two carriages sped by, with Queen Gogo and High Priest Helen riding together in one, leading the way.

Samael drove the vehicle full of women from the mountain village, bringing up the rear.

Throughout the journey, Ge Guo and Helen, who were sitting on the bumpy ride in the car, couldn't help but whisper among themselves, carefully discussing some cryptic and confidential matters.

Even though the two carefully set up a barrier, this protection was nothing to a certain god hidden in the group, and their conversation naturally fell into Samael's ears without missing a single word.

Furthermore, during the journey, Samael's indirect inquiries about the group of women behind him, corroborating each other, made the information increasingly clear, and the clues became connected.

As fragmented pieces of information pieced together, filling in the gaps in his mind, the ancient serpent gradually sketched out the current war situation in northern Greece. His brow furrowed more and more, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

The situation in Greece is truly complex!

Several months ago, the Greco-Persian Wars began.

The Persian army was ambitious and attempted to conquer all of Greece in one fell swoop. To conquer mountainous Greece, Persia had to advance by both land and sea. The navy could not only transport supplies for the army, but also conduct naval landings when necessary to encircle the Greeks.

As monarchs who had led armies to conquer all directions and subjugate all races for many years, the two Persian kings, Darius I and Xerxes, in view of this situation, each led their troops, advancing by land and sea, and supporting each other.

Xerxes and Persia were not reckless bullies. Long before the war began, they sent Persian envoys disguised as merchants to lavishly bribe and subvert some city-states along the way.

With their army now pressing in, the strategy of wielding scimitars in one hand and treasure in the other has indeed caused many city-states to fall swiftly. The heads of several hardline city-state kings have been chopped off by the Persians, dried, and hung on the heads of the envoys' warhorses as a deterrent to put pressure on the Greeks.

For a time, Greece felt a sense of impending crisis, and people in all its states were filled with anxiety.

However, the Egyptians betrayed the Persian army, causing them considerable losses. Seizing the opportunity, the Greek navy decisively defeated the Persian fleet in the Battle of Salamis.

This counterattack, where the few defeated the many and seemed divinely aided, naturally greatly inspired the Greeks, and their will to resist soared to unprecedented heights.

However, the Persian army, having suffered a setback at sea, quickly regrouped and launched a land offensive, conquering more than a dozen peripheral city-states with overwhelming strength.

Soon, Thessaly, a coastal city in northern Greece, became the first to be affected.

In order to protect itself, Thessaly called on powerful city-states such as Athens, Corinth, Mycenae, Thebes, Macedonia, and Sparta to join forces. The hastily assembled Greek coalition of more than 10,000 men, along with the heroes of the gods gathered from various city-states, gathered in the Tampe Gorge near Thessaly. They successfully used the complex terrain of Greece to block the advance of the Persians and repelled the enemy's attacks several times.

However, the Persians, having stabilized their position, continued to amass and reinforce their troops, and many unfamiliar heroes with divine blood appeared in their army, which completely negated the Greeks' original slight advantage of elite troops.

Among them, three foreign heroes recruited by Xerxes and treated as honored guests suffered heavy losses in several battles against the Greek heroes of divine blood.

At this moment, as he listened to the descriptions of the three foreign heroes by Gogo and Helen, familiar figures gradually appeared in Samael's mind, and his eyes gleamed.

If I'm not mistaken, the three figures appearing in the Persian army should be from the Hindu pantheon: Karna, son of the sun god Surya; Rama, king of Kosala; and Ginako, a girl possessed by the stone god Ganesha.

Samael frowned, deeply wary of this.

As far as he knew, these three had all reached the level of gods. Leaving aside Gina, who was a lazy bum, the origins and identities of the first two were quite mysterious.

India has two major epics that span the ages of gods and heroes: the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.

The former is about the fateful struggle between the brothers Arjuna and Karna, while the latter is about the tragic love story between King Rama and his wife Sita.

Coincidentally, Arjuna, Karna, and Rama, who are the main figures throughout the Indian pantheon of gods and heroes, are intricately connected with the supreme triad of Hindu gods, Shiva, Brahma, and Vishnu.

Arjuna received guidance from Shiva, the god of destruction; Karna possessed the gifts of Brahma, the god of creation; and Rama was simply a reincarnation of Vishnu, the god of order.

Their strength is not much less than that of Gilgamesh.

Now, two of the three great Indians have appeared in the Persian army, which makes Samael wary and deeply suspicious of the position of the Hindu gods.

Besides the comparative disadvantage of the heroes with divine blood, the Tempe Gorge in Greece, as a defensive fortress, is not impregnable and has its own fatal flaws.

A young prince from Macedonia once pointed out that there were mountain paths in the valley that could be used for flanking maneuvers, and that the Tampe Valley was easily infiltrated by the Persian army from other directions. The Greek coalition had to divide its troops to defend the valley, which further weakened its own strength.

As the Persians pressed closer and closer, and with the arrival of reinforcements such as the Meteor Legion and the Genie of the Lamp, the Tanpe Canyon rapidly deteriorated, barely managing to hold on, and its manpower was being rapidly depleted.

Soon, the mountain path that the Macedonian prince had marked so clearly became the Persian's breach, forcibly torn open and exposing the allied forces' back to the enemy's blades.

Fortunately, a fat man named Caesar, at the critical moment when the lines were on the verge of collapse, devised a feint, boldly pretending to lead "Roman reinforcements" to attack the Persian flank. This fooled the enemy, allowing the allied forces to preserve their strength and withdraw calmly. Thessaly thus fell.

Currently, the Greek coalition forces are moving to their next defensive position, namely Cape Artemis in central Greece, and... Thermopylae!

During the withdrawal, Leonidas, the Spartan king in charge of commanding the land army, sensed that the situation was not good. Based on the advice of a fat Roman and a Macedonian prince, he secretly sought help from Mount Ares.

However, the carrier pigeons released and the scouts dispatched all disappeared without a trace.

Left with no other choice, Leonidas had to send a message to his wife, Gogo, ordering her to personally go to the Acropolis in Athens to gather troops and support Thermopylae.

In order to persuade the stubborn old men in the council chambers as much as possible, this clever and decisive queen not only emptied the palace's coffers, but also brought in Helen, the Spartan high priestess of the Moon Temple who was blessed by the gods and had a legendary connection with a certain important figure in Athens.

Leonidas, the defender of Yanmen Pass; Julius Caesar, the Roman Emperor; Alexander the Great, the Macedonian conqueror!

Damn, luckily Greece's military strength is weak, but their military strategy is not. They have two top talents who are good at military administration and tactics. Otherwise, with their limited manpower, they would probably have collapsed during the Great Retreat through the Tampe Gorge.

However, the fall of the Tanpei Gorge was due to the mountain trails; the fall of Thermopylae Pass in the future will also be due to the mountain trails.

Fate, sometimes, really is something you can't escape...

Chapter 101 Look at this pancake, it's so big and round (2/5)

Wenquanguan, Wenquanguan, after going around in circles, that old friend has returned to the starting point of fate.

If things go wrong, Sparta might be doomed...

As he pondered to himself, Samael's brow furrowed, and his eyes narrowed slightly as he recalled the pursuer who had vanished in a cloud of blood.

Immediately, the ancient snake raised its whip and cracked it a few times, speeding up the warhorse training, catching up with Gogo and Helen, and riding alongside the two employers. Its gaze was deep and unfathomable as it asked a question in a low voice, seemingly unintentionally.

"Do you even know what kind of monster is chasing you?"

"We don't know. All we know is that he calls himself an Assassin, an assassin who specializes in intercepting messengers and cutting off Thermopylae's connection with the outside world..."

Assassin… assassin… summoner of heroic spirits? It's been a long time since I've heard such a formal title…

In theory, heroic spirits rarely appear alone; they are usually in pairs.

Samael suppressed a shadow of gloom in his eyes, then glanced at Gogo and Helen beside him.

"The only way you could have infiltrated outside Sparta and relentlessly pursued you is that someone leaked your plans—and it was a high-ranking Spartan who had access to firsthand battle reports and knew your operational plans!"

"Theron!"

As Geguo reviewed the various anomalies, his expression changed, and he uttered a somewhat awkward answer.

"he is?"

"...the royal bloodline of the gods, representing the interests of Sparta, joined the council chamber of Mount Ares..."

"Then now he..."

"At Mount Ares! He must have intercepted my husband's battle report, colluded with the Persians, and concealed the truth from the council chamber!"

The Spartan queen responded through gritted teeth, her eyes blazing with fury.

"That damned bastard, he betrayed Sparta! He betrayed Greece!"

Helen patted her chest gently, the gloom between her brows gradually dissipating. She patted Gogo's shoulder softly, comforting him gently.

"Rest assured, as long as we present the evidence to the council chamber and expose the true face of that traitor, and with Athens gathering its army to provide support, the crisis at Thermopylae will surely be overcome smoothly."

“That’s right. I’ve kept the battle reports and military intelligence that Leonidas sent me close to my body. With these, I’m not afraid of not being able to bring down that traitorous bastard!”

Geguo's brows relaxed, and he nodded earnestly.

If only that were true...

Samael turned his head away, his eyes gleaming.

That Spartan representative couldn't have absolute power in Athens, and even if he could intercept the Spartan battle reports, what about the reports from other city-states?

That was a coalition of Greek city-states, including nobles of other city-states and even many Athenian hoplites.

Faced with the crisis at Wenquan Pass, the War God Mountain has remained silent. Is it really just a problem with one person?

It's probably rotten to the core.

Of course, it's rare that the two employers seemed somewhat invigorated; these trivial matters need not be elaborated upon.

Because he's back!

Samael's gaze, fixed on the outline of Mount Ares ahead, was chilling, as if brewing a torrent of bloodlust. However, the ancient serpent then looked back at the northern border, his face becoming more solemn.

Hopefully, with the addition of Caesar and Alexander, Thermopylae can hold out until the dust settles in Athens.

Old friend, wait for me!

Meanwhile, Wenquan Pass.

Soldiers from the Greek states who were being evacuated gradually arrived at their destination and assembled.

Thermopylae is a strategic pass in central Greece, named after the hot springs that line the pass. The surrounding terrain is characterized by easily defensible and difficult-to-attack mountains, which made it unfavorable for the operations of the Persian cavalry.

Only in the area where Wenquanguan is located is there an east-west thoroughfare, a passageway about 5 kilometers long.

Looking out from a high vantage point, one can see that the south side of this passage is bordered by steep mountains, while the north side is nestled against the Gulf of Maris.

There are three places along the route: the West Gate, the Middle Gate, and the East Gate, which are defended by Caesar, Leonidas, and Alexander, respectively.

The central pass guarded by the Spartan king was a defensive wall built by the ancient Phocians to protect against cavalry, facilitating the deployment of Spartan military formations. The narrowest points of the western and eastern passes were "only wide enough for one cart to pass through," requiring even lower standards for the quality of soldiers and making them ideal for defense.

Once the battle begins, the Persian army's numerical advantage will be almost negated by the terrain. To conquer Thermopylae, they can only reinforce their troops wave after wave, which is tantamount to the piecemeal tactic, a major taboo in military strategy.

Leonidas surveyed the perimeter of the wall, patted the battlements with satisfaction, and organized auxiliary troops to transport supplies and repair the wall. At the same time, he summoned magicians and priests to add defensive spells to each brick, making full preparations for the coming battle.

As evening approached, the vanguard of the Persians had begun to appear near Thermopylae.

"Chirp~ Chirp!"

Just as Leonidas was preparing for battle, several iron-feathered eagles with glossy black feathers swooped down and landed on the battlements, revealing the message tubes on their talons.

"What's written on it?"

"I bet it's just Xerxes spouting nonsense about surrendering again..."

The middle-aged man in the laurel wreath, noticeably thinner from his arduous military service, and the red-haired youth with a short sword at his waist, walked by cheerfully, exchanging questions and answers, as if they had found a rare moment of amusement.

"He said the Persians were so numerous that their arrows alone could block out the sun, and their spit could drown us. He said if I surrendered, he could make me the king of Greece."

Leonidas shrugged, looking disdainful, and turned to his two companions with a mocking expression.

"So, who's interested?"

Caesar slyly patted his little brother on the shoulder, then raised his hand to rub his chin, gazing intently at the vanguard troops beginning to assemble ahead, muttering with some dissatisfaction.

"Xerxes is such a dishonest businessman. He wants the three of us to split a Greek king among ourselves. Tsk, what a stingy guy!"

"Besides, the title of King of Greece isn't up to him; he'll have to be at Cyrus's beck and call from now on."

Alexander scoffed and shook his head, bluntly exposing the Persian king's empty promises.

Immediately, the future conqueror stepped forward with his hand on his sword, his head held high, his still-haired face displaying an arrogant and confident expression.

"If I'm going to do it, I'll be the king who conquers the world and reaches the end of the sea! And what I want, I'll get myself; I don't need anyone else to give it to me!"

"Your homeland, Macedonia, is gone. Where do you get such confidence?"

Caesar reached out and hooked his arm around Alexander's neck, ruthlessly reopening the wounds of a young man.

"That was my father leading the troops. If it were me, the Persians would have at least broken a few teeth!"

Alexander was confident and high-spirited, completely unaffected by the taunts of that unscrupulous fat man.

"If your old man hears you say that, he'll spank you!"

Caesar rolled his eyes with a grin, not forgetting to make a sarcastic remark.

"Since none of you want it, I'll just burn this letter. Besides, I happen to be short of a snack to go with my drinks tonight..."

Leonidas licked his dry lips and teeth, his green eyes fixed menacingly on the iron-feathered eagle perched on the stack. The intense malice in his gaze made the feathered beast shudder and turn to run, but it was caught by the faster-reacting Spartan king.

"No, we should be reasonable and follow etiquette; we should reply to them..."

Caesar pressed down on Leonidas's shoulder, his smiling eyes narrowing into slits.