Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

The passionate Quetzalcoatl, beaming with smiles, warmly embraced each of her familiar friends, bidding them farewell and offering blessings before her departure.

This radiant goddess energized the entire atmosphere, possessing a captivating charm that dispelled the gloom that had hung over everyone's hearts.

After a brief period of rest, the scene quieted down. Gilgamesh nodded slightly, and Merlin tapped his wand lightly. A unique resonance emanated from all directions of Uruk.

Instantly, the astrological platform, the sacrificial site, and the temple lit up with intricate arrays of runes.

Large and small, layered circular spells soared into the sky, and beams of colorful light converged with the ethereal tide, instantly forming a raging thunderstorm above Uruk.

The long-awaited sunshine finally shone on the earth, somewhat dispelling the musty smell and dampness of the past few days of rain.

“Woo—woo!”

Immediately afterwards, a mournful bugle call echoed from the various watchtowers on the north wall.

The fences near the barracks opened, and thousands of Quetzalcoatlus rushed out of the breeding sheds to frolic. The riders, who had been waiting for a long time, each carried their own packs and hopped on.

A dense fanning sound came, and the hastily assembled dragoon force took off, splitting into small teams and heading towards the cedar forest.

According to the plan, over the next three hours, they will traverse the wasteland, scattering potions and dropping blood-smelling bait along the way to lure out the monster hordes near the Blood Temple.

Moreover, this operation must not go too far, and the pace needs to be carefully controlled.

All preparations for the great battle have been completed. Now it's time for Samael and his surprise attack force to seize the opportunity and break in from the side.

As they were about to part, Leonidas, with a serious expression, walked up to Samael, patted his younger brother on the shoulder heavily, and a hint of admiration appeared in his eyes.

"According to Spartan etiquette, young men are going to war, so I should give you some useful weapons."

"Look, I'm all ready!"

With a beckoning gesture from the Spartan king, the son of the blacksmith ghost Um, with great pride, brought the gift Leonidas had commissioned him to make to Samael.

The equipment was complete: a long spear, three javelins, a round shield, and a short sword.

Good heavens, this is more than the weapons of a regular Spartan warrior.

Moreover, with four layers of spearman buff, you want me to die fast enough, right?

Samael was both amused and exasperated, and felt a bit resistant.

“Take them. They have all been tempered by Zeus’s divine blood and have a natural advantage against the Gorgons!”

Leonidas noticed the serpent's subtle expression, raised his hand and lightly punched Samael's chest, giving him earnest advice.

Only then did the ancient serpent notice the bandages wrapped around Leonidas's arm, and the eerie bluish-red hues on the tips of those weapons.

As a descendant of a god-king who has deteriorated for countless generations, using the divine blood within his body to temper a weapon would obviously result in significant losses.

Zeus's bloodline could subdue the Gorgon? It seems... or maybe it really is true!

The Spartan king's words reminded him of the legends associated with the Gorgons.

According to the Theogony, the three Gorgons were descendants of Typhon, the king of the Greek monsters.

However, this is a serious debuff. Typhon's more famous offspring are basically unlucky ones who helped heroes gain reputation.

Among the more powerful ones are Cerberus, the three-headed dog of Hades who guards the underworld; Ladon, the hundred-headed dragon who watches over the golden apple tree; Hydra, the nine-headed hydra that lives in Lake Lena; and the enormous, invulnerable Nemean Lion...

Consider the fates of these individuals; they were all single-handedly defeated by Hercules' twelve trials.

Even among the remaining Typhon descendants with names and surnames, more than 70% had been defiled by that Hercules.

(What else can I say? Uncle B is awesome! Snow City is invincible!)

In terms of blood relations, these are all brothers and sisters of the Gorgon.

Hercules, as the ancestor of the Spartans, was a natural enemy of Typhon's descendants.

Therefore, the destructive power of this weapon, mixed with the blood of Zeus, against the Gorgons was self-evident.

"Samael, this is all I can do for you. Come back alive!"

"Ok!"

Clearly, this Spartan king truly regarded Samael as a close friend and had put a lot of thought into preparing the gifts.

The ancient serpent no longer refused, and after bumping fists and chests with Leonidas, it attached its weapon to the back of the Quetzalcoatlus.

As the two parted ways, the team prepared to depart, when a petite purple figure blocked Samael's path.

"I also need to go!"

"Okay, but I'll be in charge of commanding this squad, so you'll have to follow my instructions for any actions we take..."

The ancient snake understood the determination and resolve in Anna's upturned face. It crouched down, raised its hand to stroke her head, and patiently made the pre-battle agreement.

"Ok!"

The little girl, whose expectations had been lowered, was overjoyed when she saw that Samael had actually made an exception and agreed to let her join. She nodded her head vigorously.

Then, the ancient serpent pulled Anna onto the Quetzalcoatl it was riding, and the two figures, one large and one small, nestled together.

Moments later, a squad of Quetzalcoatlus took flight, and the team consisting of Samael, Anna, the Leopard Man, Merlin, and Ishtar headed towards the cedar forest.

Although the torrential rains in most parts of the north were dispelled by Uruk's magic circle, they were consuming massive amounts of strategic resources every moment.

Judging from the persistent dark clouds overhead and the humid air all around, this artificially created favorable weather is only temporary.

Therefore, we must fight quickly and decisively!

In the clouds, Samael looked down at Anna, whose face was tense and whose expression was solemn, her pupils opening and closing in a cross pattern.

Silly girl, be a good girl, I won't let you sacrifice yourself this time.

Come on, let me see the grand gift that [Destiny] has prepared!

Chapter 119 This is Thermopylae (1/5)

Outside the cedar forest, in a mountain hollow.

Merlin tapped his staff, casting an illusion that created a layer of transparent bubbles that enveloped the small open space, making everyone blend into the environment.

Large and small magical beasts passed by, completely unaware that a group of people was hiding not far away.

Two hours later, the number of magical beasts emerging from the cedar forest became increasingly sparse, and the area seemed to quiet down considerably.

Samael, who was comforting the wind god pterosaur, turned to Merlin and nodded thoughtfully.

"That's about it. Contact Uruk!"

The Great Sage, having already completed the circular magic circle, immediately waved his staff, drawing rune symbols in the air to activate the ritual.

Meanwhile, the northern defensive line.

Leonidas stared at the dense horde of monsters below the city, tightened his grip on his javelin, and his expression turned grave.

The variety of monsters in the game seems to have increased significantly.

With the addition of aerial units like wyverns and triceratops, as well as medium- to long-range artillery like the hydra, the human side's advantage is becoming increasingly weak.

Even in a simple comparison of numbers, the defending forces and the monsters are more than ten times apart.

Tsk, this is truly a critical situation with a huge disparity in troop strength.

However, this can only rank second; the first is Thermopylae.

Back then, even in direct combat, the troop strength ratio was 300 vs. 10, a difference of more than 300 times.

Moreover, even if all 300 of them were to die in battle, they would still drag more than 2 Persians down to hell!

Leonidas grinned, and the slamming of his spear produced a dull, rhythmic thud. Amidst the solemn silence, a hysterical roar erupted, like a thunderclap.

"Friends! This is Thermopylae!"

"Your hometown is right behind you! Your homeland is right behind you!"

"If the enemy wants it, then let them come and take it themselves!"

boom!Boom!

boom!Boom!

The Uruk soldiers, already familiar with the story, pounded their javelins rhythmically with pride and smack of arsenal, engaging every muscle in their bodies and letting out deafening shouts.

"Come and take it if you dare!"

"Come and take it if you dare!"

"Come and take it if you dare!"

In an instant, led by Leonidas, thousands of javelins were hurled out with all their might, and the sky was filled with a terrifying rain of black thorns.

Instantly, blood splattered, and the sounds of flesh tearing apart were deafening. Hundreds of demonic beasts fell to the ground with mournful cries, strung together like hedgehogs.

The great battle has officially begun.

At almost the same time, war broke out at the South Gate as well.

The “Babylonian Dragon” Mushuhushu, the “Fishman” Kuluru, and the “Water Serpent” Wushumugal, which arrived here by meandering through the waterways thanks to the heavy rain, also numbered considerably after breaking through the Reed Plains.

Worse still, the south side doesn't have the same sturdy walls as the north, meaning they have to face the onslaught of these monsters head-on.

"boom!"

A beam of flame descended from the sky, blasting a crater a hundred meters deep in the center of the densest group of magical beasts. The splashing rocks and magical beams swept away dozens of nearby magical beasts.

"It's Lord Kukulkan!"

The South Gate defenders, who were struggling in the fierce battle, were greatly encouraged as they watched Maya break into the monster horde and slaughter them as if they were in an empty field.

Immediately afterwards, the arriving priests and priestesses, carrying a black leopard statue, murmured prayers.

Circular summoning spells rose from the open space ahead, and thousands of leopard-man soldiers, wielding stone weapons and dressed in leather skirts, roared out of the ranks, blocking the onslaught of the monster army.

"boom!"

Kukulkan swung his obsidian weapon and casually chopped off the head of a Mushuhushu, purplish-red blood splattering everywhere.

"Whoosh!"

A merman, rising from the moat, caught the fish off guard and hurled a steel fork.

However, Quetzalcoatl slightly turned his body, grabbed the end of the weapon's hilt with his other hand, and returned it to its original owner.

Instantly, three fishmen were pierced through the skull and sank into the moat.

Immediately, Kukulkan felt a gust of wind behind him. Without turning his head, he stretched his legs into a straight line and kicked a two-legged dragon that was swooping down from behind, breaking its neck.

In a short period of time, hundreds of monsters had died directly or indirectly at the hands of this Mayan goddess.

The pressure on the south gate defense line was suddenly reduced.

The soldiers, having regained their footing, fought back and forth with the enemy, relying on the moat, the massive armaments, and reinforcements.

But after Quetzalcoatl snapped the neck of a Mushuhuxiu, his gaze as he looked up toward the cedar forest was filled with worry.

At this moment, the Royal Palace Tower.

"You're saying that King Gu, the commander of the monsters, hasn't shown up?"

Samael, whose figure appeared in the magic circle, frowned slightly and repeated the message he had heard.

"That's right! The rain has stopped, which is a good opportunity for both sides."

“Those beasts were created to kill humans, and the Gorgon’s constraints cannot keep them in the cedar forest as watchdogs.”

The high priestess, Siduli, held a clay tablet with a battle report from the front lines, her expression solemn.

"Therefore, without us having to attract them, large-scale monster invasions occurred on both the north and south sides."

"Based on a rough estimate, about 70% of the monster army has already gathered around Uruk."

"But until now, there has been no trace of Jingu on either side."

Samael flicked his nails, and as he looked up again, a more determined look appeared on his face.

"This is a good thing..."

"Good thing?"

Siduri did not understand.

"With such a good attacking opportunity, Jin Gu didn't come out. He must have something more important to do."

"And the only thing that can keep her in the fir forest is the safety of that magical beast goddess."