Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

On the Argo, Samael glanced at the shadowy sea monster outside the window, then his gaze returned to the sand table, a slight smile playing on his lips.

A bad thing, viewed from a different perspective, might actually be a good thing.

The current situation proves that the Persians can no longer sit still.

And Wenquan Pass is right in front of us!

At this moment, encountering his old rival, Themistocles pointed his sword forward and, together with his allies, launched an attack on the Persian fleet.

Facing their arch-rival, the magicians from the Academy of Athens also showcased their signature tricks.

"Behold the perfect circle, the perfect radiance. The time for reckoning has come—let the gathered straw burn like the moon!"

Stirred by the magical tide, Archimedes' body floated into the air, and the prism tower behind him drew upon the brilliance of the sun, moon, and stars, shooting out scorching streams of ethereal light that ignited several Persian warships.

"The world begins with a cause and ends with an order. Its past, present, and future are an eternal flame, burning in a certain degree and extinguishing in a certain degree! Therefore, light is everywhere, descend—dispel the darkness of ignorance and forever ignite the fire of order!"

Then Heraclitus chanted divine words and unleashed a fireball with all his might, as dazzling as the sun.

As this thing slammed down, a huge whirlpool first formed on the sea surface, and then it exploded with a roar.

In an instant, a blinding white light flashed, stinging the eyes of everyone around, friend or foe, and blurring their vision into a blinding white haze, as a terrifying mushroom cloud rose into the air.

Dozens of Persian warships were either caught up in the chaos or smashed to pieces.

On the chaotic sea, there were fragments of wooden ship hulls, as well as the flesh and blood remains of humans and monsters.

The Persians, who had suffered heavy losses, immediately halted their advance. The army's sorcerer sat on a flying carpet, picked up a magic lamp, and engaged in a spectacular magic duel with his old adversaries.

Although the magicians at the Academy of Athens were of high quality, this kind of inspirational education meant that talented students were destined to be produced in small numbers.

The Persian Empire, with its large population and relatively complete education system, had several times more spellcasters than the Academy of Athens.

Therefore, one side possessed superior quality, while the other had a large quantity, leading to a massive bombardment on the sea.

But then, the arrival of the Norse druids and the massive, dark deep-sea fleet sent shivers down the spines of the sorcerers and the priests of the Persian temple, who began chanting divine incantations.

"Its source is fire, its power is light. Calling upon the name of my Lord Mithras, I summon spirits to serve the light and wield the sword of righteousness!"

Instantly, the flame spirits Ifrit, released from the magic lamp, were bathed in the radiant glow of the incandescent white halo and formed slender, elegant human figures. Clad in armor and wielding weapons, they charged toward the Panhellenic coalition.

This is...

On the Argo, Samael looked up at the familiar outlines and shapes in the sky above the chaotic sea. The charcoal pencil in his hand fell from his fingers without him noticing, and he murmured the answer.

……Angel!

Chapter 158: Have all the ingredients escaped?

Angels are spirits that serve the light.

Most of these beings, being of lower or middle rank, lack a fixed physical form, appearance, or gender. To put it bluntly, they are simply tools and servants serving God.

Before Samael stood these humanoid creatures, transformed from the flame spirit Ifrit of the magic lamp bathed in divine light. They possessed a number of different luminous wings, wore full-body armor, and wielded weapons powered by fire and ether—the very image of angels in his memory.

Flame is light...

The ancient serpent recalled the definition of Zoroastrianism and their worship of fire and light, and understood.

However, even if the Persians summoned angels, they still couldn't gain much of an advantage.

Because the Valkyrie legion of the Panhellenic coalition had already spread its swan wings, taken to the air, and was fighting against these so-called angels.

The sounds of clashing weapons and the deafening roar of exploding flames rose and fell, making it difficult for the limited number of Valkyries to break through, and the advance in the aerial battlefield reached a stalemate.

"Open the hatch, release the Lamia mass production unit, and break free from the beast tide!"

But then, Odysseus launched swarms of snake women into the sea behind him, using mass-produced weapons from the Ecdna Armory to intercept the frenzied sea monsters that were chasing after him, and assembled the deep-sea fleet.

At the same time, the black hulls of the ships reverberated with a piercing metallic scraping sound, cracks appeared, and menacing gun barrels lit up as they charged.

Meanwhile, squads of Atlantean soldiers, Olympian guards, wide-area annihilation weapons, and humanoid self-defense weapons that were on standby were awakened, either boarding the decks to operate their weapons or igniting their engines to take off, ready to go.

"All troops—charge! Attack!"

Piloting his large, silver-white mechanized armored vehicle, Odysseus commanded his technologically advanced mechanized troop to launch an attack.

In an instant, the scorching etheric factors tore through the sea fog, forming thousands of dark red streams of light, like the scythe of death, tearing the unsuspecting Persian warships to shreds like paper.

Furthermore, the snake-woman Ramia, who could tow ships underwater, and the wide-area annihilation weapons that fired magical beams from the sky, made it difficult for the Persians to cope. One after another, the warships that encountered the attack exploded.

Even though the enemy desperately closed the distance, attempting to ram ships and engage in close combat, the ferocious Greek hoplites, the berserkers who went mad after going berserk, and the heavily armed Atlantean soldiers and Olympian guards inflicted heavy casualties on the Persians, who had only a numerical advantage.

Furthermore, as time went on, the Persians were unable to maintain their numerical advantage and fell into a complete disadvantage.

If it weren't for the Leviathan serpent and the maddened sea monster relentlessly pursuing them, the Panhellenic coalition would have needed to divert some of its attention and military strength, and the Persian fleet would have collapsed even faster.

Samael stood before the sand table, recreating the jagged battlefield in real time according to the changing situation, and acting as a lubricant to coordinate the overall operation of the three parties.

According to his estimate, it wouldn't be long before they could break through the Persian fleet's defenses and land near Thermopylae.

boom!

Suddenly, the Argo shook violently, knocking over several chess pieces on the sand table.

The magic barrier was broken? That shouldn't be the case!

Samael felt a strong tremor beneath his feet, his expression hardened, and he immediately rushed out of the command room to check the situation.

But looking around, the Argo was completely undamaged. In fact, under the protection of these powerful heroes of divine blood, not only the Persians but even the angels above instinctively avoided this mobile fortress.

boom……

However, another violent shaking struck, causing the ship to sway violently from side to side.

But this time, Samael saw the real epicenter.

On land!

Something moving on land is causing the sea to ripple!

The ancient serpent's eyes, with their cross-shaped pupils opening and closing, pierced through layers of sea mist, gazing into the distance.

Rumble!

As if to verify Samael's thoughts, amidst the deafening roar, waves of earth hundreds of meters high rose high, forming a cloud of dust that blotted out the sky.

Beneath that blurred vision that stretched to the extreme, the ancient serpent could vaguely see several majestic mountain peaks slowly moving!

No! It's not a mountain peak!

Upon confirming it again, Samael's pupils contracted sharply, and he couldn't help but gasp.

It is a giant beast with a body covered in rocks and trees, and a length of over a thousand meters!

Those creatures had thick manes, heads like hippos and gorillas, and a pair of huge tusks. Although their appearance was similar to a Persian mammoth war elephant enlarged hundreds of times, their forelimbs were a pair of sharp claws, and they seemed to have the ability to walk upright for a short time.

Wherever it passed, mountains shattered, the earth cracked open with ravines, and rivers were forcibly cut off.

Samael stared at the towering figures, each one like a mountain, and dryly uttered his answer.

Behemoth, the king of the land!

Legend has it that God created Behemoth and Leviathan from clay on the sixth day of creation.

Leviathan is the ruler of the sea, while Behemoth in Hebrew means "herd of beasts," referring to its enormous size, which can only be compared to that of a herd of beasts.

In addition, it has another name, which is equally famous in the history of gods and monsters: Behemoth.

Due to later misinterpretations, it was also called "Bahhamt" by Arabs!

In the biblical stories that encompass multiple mythologies, the deep-sea serpent Leviathan and the Behemoth are the kings of the land and the sea, respectively, among all the beasts.

Wait a minute! Behemoth's attack isn't aimed at the sea?

Thermopylae!

The Persians wanted to launch a full-scale attack on Thermopylae before the dust settled from the naval battle!

Samael was suddenly struck by a realization, his pupils contracting sharply as he instantly understood the enemy's plan.

"Jason, Odysseus, the naval battle is yours to handle. Thermopylae is under siege, I'm going ahead!"

As the earth shook and the roar came like a heavy drumbeat, the ancient serpent's expression turned solemn, and he made a decisive decision.

boom!

In an instant, the Saint King, who had summoned the Sagittarius Cloth, took a powerful step and, amidst the explosion of ether and the shaking of the ship, soared into the sky, sweeping across the sea at lightning speed, heading straight for the Thermopylae defense line.

However, to reach Thermopylae, one needed to directly pass through the Persian fleet, and the angels transformed from the nearby fire spirit Ifrit surrounded and blocked the invader.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

Not only that.

Just then, a fierce hurricane rose from the sea, and a giant, dark red bird with wings that blotted out the sky took flight from the land with a scream, carrying with it a violent ethereal current, and swept toward the fleet.

King of the Sky, Giant Bird Shiz!

If I remember correctly, according to the Book of Job, these three giants would fight each other at the end of the world and become food for the holy ones.

Sure enough, all the giants that foreshadowed the end of the world came out!

Samael showed no intention of pausing to respond, accelerating to his maximum speed and charging straight ahead.

Whoosh whoosh!

At the same time, sharp, piercing sounds echoed as hundreds of angels along the way had their cores pierced, their bodies shattered amidst the explosions of ether.

Following closely behind, Orion, Atalanta, and Heracles drew their bows and arrows, and after clearing away the nearby angels, each targeted one of the swooping monsters and began their hunt, clearing obstacles for their comrades and their king.

Chapter 159 Song of Despair, Sword of Destruction! (Two Chapters Combined)

Meanwhile, at Wenquan Pass, on the front lines.

"Roar!"

A thunderous roar shook the earth as a hairy giant claw lifted a raised rock, taut its muscles, and swung it forward.

boom! boom! boom!

Amidst the deafening roar, the magic array on the protective city wall flickered, spreading its pent-up power to the surrounding area.

Click...

As chunks of rock, each the size of a small hill, crashed into the light screen, the spiderweb-like cracks that formed from the impact spread in all directions, quickly pushing the magic barrier to its limit.

But in the end, this light-like barrier withstood the massive boulder thrown by the distant doomsday monster and slowly repaired itself.

The Spartan defenders, hidden behind the light-like barrier, breathed a sigh of relief, their hearts finally settling back into place.

The garrison, caught off guard by the enormous, towering behemoth that seemed to blot out the sky, cursed under their breath.

The Persian mammoth war elephants were already troublesome enough, but this new creature was a behemoth a thousand times larger, and its strength and defense were terrifying enough to inspire despair.

Boom!Boom!Boom!Boom!

However, before the defenders of Wenquan Pass could recover from the previous attack, the ground shook violently, and even the pebbles beneath their feet that transmitted the tremors bounced several inches up.

Coming, coming, coming!

"Defense! Defense!"

The centurions in the front row, their hearts pounding and faces pale, delivered a warning with an almost off-key roar amidst the earth-shaking tremors.

Amidst the billowing dust, the Behemoth, charging into the canyon, casually swung its two claws with sharp nails, brutally smashing the obstructing rocks as if kneading tofu. Its powerful body crashed through protruding rock formations, its speed undiminished.

"Roar!"

In the blink of an eye, the Behemoth, which had rushed to within a hundred meters, leaped up with a bent knee and, like a maddened giant ape, brandished its nearly ten-meter-long claws, slapping at the magic barrier that was on the verge of collapse.

it's over...

The dozens of soldiers at the front line watched as the awe-inspiring, towering hand descended heavily, their bodies trembling involuntarily at the beast's roar.

That is the awe and fear that lower species have for higher beings, etched in their blood.

hum!

At the critical moment, the fierce ethereal tides surged and converged wildly, pouring into the crumbling magic barrier like a thousand rivers flowing into the sea.

boom!

Amidst the deafening roar that nearly pierced eardrums, blue, red, yellow, and white halos swirled, forcefully withstanding a heavy blow from the Behemoth war beast.