Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 770: Chapter 276: With Solomon_2

Helios, the fallen God of Sun.

Many believed that if not for the coercion from Zeus, this honest person would not have come to this point.

But Aphrodite was well aware that Helios was not honest at all.

Long before she approached him, he was already involved with Clymene, the wife of the ancient Titans Deities and the Oceanides, the Goddess of Renown, and had even fathered demigod offspring.

But all of that had ended with the fall of the Sun, as he was sealed within the stars—just like his father.

“Being with the Sun feels so warm and intense… Pity, Apollo seems to be quite impervious.”

“However, on the other hand, I still have to thank you, Helios. If it weren’t for you, I would probably never have known that, in addition to True Gods, there are so many powerful beings in this world.”

“Tartarus… The secrets of Chaos, always more than I can imagine.”

With a seductive smile, the ultimate charm of the Goddess of Beauty was reached when her girdle fell around her own waist.

No matter what form of life, no matter how shaped, they all could feel the ‘beauty’ of Aphrodite, just as her church had said.

Beauty, after all, is the most powerful weapon in the world.

“Just wait, Hippolyta.”

“I await the good news you will bring me.”

Turning around, Aphrodite left without hesitation.

It was no longer safe here; to prevent herself from becoming a captive, it was best to return to Olympus immediately.

As for Demeter, let her stay with this broken city.

······

Ever since the Goddess of Beauty had left, there had been days of sunrise and sunset, sunset and sunrise.

The Sun Chariot passed again and again through the sky, and quickly, several days had quietly gone by.

On the ramparts of Eryxis, increasingly more makeshift soldiers took their positions.

Their expressions were largely grim, not only because they were not regular soldiers but also because they felt this war made no sense at all.

They did indeed oppose many of Athens’s policies and disliked the King of Athens, but none of that had escalated to the point where bloodshed was necessary.

However, the course of the world never shifts due to the opinions of the common people, so on this day, when the frightened soldiers thought they could survive yet another encounter,

at the edge of their vision, a streak broadened from a blur into definition.

Some thousand men wide, it stretched from earth to heaven; tens of thousands strong, it spanned boundlessly.

The approaching army divided into three like flowing water and clouds, heading for the three walls of Eryxis.

A group of thousands of cavalrymen roamed the left and right, seemingly on guard for any sudden charge from within the city.

But looking at this, the soldiers defending the city thought the enemy was overthinking.

The so-called ‘surprise enemy attack from the city’ also depended on capability, and they had no doubt that even without those roaming knights outside, they would easily be crushed by the Athenian army that had been marching for days through the open fields.

Inevitably, Eryxis was not powerful enough to secretly train an army before the rebellion.

Now the kingdom’s defenders were merely led by aristocrats and church guards, commanding ordinary soldiers.@@novelbin@@

An army forged on the fly like this, with its soldiers lacking sufficient understanding and coordination, could not resonate with a collective will and fervor.

Under such circumstances, a single confrontation would see them break ranks in open field battle.

Still, luckily, Eryxis had its walls.

And the walls of the mythological age could not equate with those mere stone constructs built by mortals.

“…That’s why they say a sage should ‘move with the world’.”

“Even the military strategy and tactics of later generations cannot be simply transplanted here.”

In the middle of the army lay the supply train, Godhood Practitioners, and various spellcasting tools.

And seated upon the carriage, Laine was also gradually becoming familiar with many things of this age.

For instance, messengers, which Athens under normal circumstances would not use.

Their witchcraft communication could wholly replace human messengers, adopting the most primitive means only when lines were broken.

Or like the spellcaster groups from the first two world wars of later generations, where Godhood Practitioners and Wizards each had their uses.

But on the mythological battlefield, they were both subject to various restrictions.

Like Divine Arts, it is difficult to directly affect the opponent’s military formation, involving issues of faith and will.

And while witchcraft can bypass this trouble, under the manifestation of order in national warfare, wizards’ utilization of external elements is greatly discounted.

They could only rely more on their own magic power to cast spells, resulting in a significant decline in their sustained attack capabilities.

All these factors combined, along with a series of more complex influences, eventually formed the battlefields of the Mortal Realm.

From scouts to logistics, from the ground to the sky, many of the experiences of later generations do not work here.

“Mr. Solomon, I hear you are a distinguished disciple of Lord Hermes?”

Gazing at the city walls, now shimmering with various lights, Laine casually inquired.

In his vision, within the wraps of various glows, the suspected location of the Great Temple, a beam of light soaring into the sky, was faintly visible.

It seemed Demeter was still in the city and had not left.

Could she be thinking that, as a True God gracing the earth, Athens would take her into consideration and think twice?

What a naïve thought…

“I dare not call myself a distinguished disciple, just a student of the teacher.”

With a slight bow, even though Solomon did not know what this person who had suddenly joined Athens and been charged with an important task by the New King actually did, he still maintained proper etiquette.

“Heh, no need to be modest.”

“The wonders of Alchemy have long been renowned; is it true, Mr. Solomon, that you once came from Pislatius?”

“Yes, but that was a very long time ago.”

Solomon nodded slightly, not knowing why Laine was asking this.

“Hmm, Pislatius, truly a lovely place. I recall that Io once hailed from that kingdom, though her whereabouts later became unknown. This means you are of the same kind.”

Speaking calmly, Laine did not pay any mind to Solomon’s subtly changing expression.

For the people of Pislatius, Io was not a good name.

It was a symbol of their manipulation by deities and said to be a reason for their subsequent decline.

Even though Solomon had not lived there for long, the name still wasn’t pleasant to his ears.

“Well, let’s leave small talk aside.”

“Mr. Solomon, I heard that you brought with you a creation of Lord Hermes that can shatter the walls of Eryxis?”

Changing the topic as if the previous was just a casual mention, Laine returned to the matter at hand.

Solomon saw this and frowned slightly, but thinking of the teacher’s arrangement, he did not say more.

“Yes, this is a one-time war tool created by the teacher at great cost, though its specific effect has not yet been verified.”

“But as long as it has at least seventy percent of the anticipated capability, even the ancient walls of Eryxis shouldn’t be able to withstand it.”

“Very well, let’s get ready then.”

“We will launch a probing attack on the front, and if you are successful, that probe will become a real assault.”

Nodding in understanding, Laine did not show greater interest in that ‘experimental product.’

He stepped out of the chariot, observing the armies now slowly encircling from three sides.

Logically speaking, having traveled far to reach the city and arriving at dusk, this was not the right time to launch an attack.

But gazing at the city walls, Laine still calmly waved his hand.

“Proceed with the preparations made in advance, let’s test their city defense.”

“…Yes.”

A voice respectfully agreed, and soon, the commands were relayed everywhere.

The next moment, Laine saw the Godhood Practitioners stationed behind the central formation take their places, holding up scepters, and began chanting hymns.

“[Bravery]——”

Whoosh——

Divine Light swept across the formations instantly, and large-scale War Divine Skill began to take effect.

And on the distant city walls, the Eryxis Guards were in an uproar.

Clearly, such commotion marked the prelude to a siege.