Myth: The Ruler of Spirituality

Chapter 786: Chapter 286 Alliance

The deep autumn wind swept across the wilderness, heralding the premonition of winter.

The Sun rose in the east, but its light was obscured by clouds, appearing somewhat dim and lightless.

Several hundred miles west of the Aigaleo Mountains, the Goddess of Dawn, Eos, had just revealed her delicate face.

Continuous encampments were established atop a hill, beside a branch of river.

It was an apt place for an army to station, leveraging the advantageous terrain and proximity to water sources.

Clearly, although there was no expectation of assault here, the command of this army was not negligent.

Sentinel and patrol distributions were strategically arranged, appearing orderly.

In the camp, the army was now busily preparing breakfast.

“How is it? This is your first time leading an army, do you feel nervous now?”

On a huge boulder at the hill, Mode, clad in armor, asked with a smile.

Over the years, the once young man had matured significantly, but his personality hadn’t changed much.

“Nervous… perhaps a bit.”

“But I feel more excitement than anything.”

Shaking his head slightly, Odysseus replied with a smile, “Aren’t you feeling the same?”

“Under the guidance of the gods, storming fortresses and defeating the armies of great nations, spreading our own fame.”

“Such was the way of ancient heroes, and now it is our turn.”

“Hahaha… that’s indeed true.”

“Ancient heroes did such deeds, and now it’s our turn.”

Laughing loudly, Mode took a sip of wine.

Indeed, whether it was he or Odysseus, or even those from Argos, Mycenae, Tirins, Thebes, including Troy City,

The kings and commanders of these kingdoms all arrived here with similar sentiments, never questioning the Victory of this war.

Though they were to attack Athens, a kingdom protected by the Goddess of Wisdom, this time they had the help of All Gods.

Compared to the difficulties of war, they cared more about who would lead the Alliance to Victory.

Even Odysseus, upon learning about the situation with Eryxis was the same, those beasts that could breach walls were merely unchallenged.

Such events, will not be repeated here.

“However, to speak of which, Odysseus, my friend.”

“Ithaca is but a small islet in the ocean, we originally should have accepted the will of the Sea God, launching an assault from the sea under the leadership of the Kingdom of Pylos.”

“But unexpectedly, you were favored by the Heavenly Empress, receiving Divine decree to command Argos’ army.”

Turning to survey the tents on the hill, Mode had to admit, the states on this Mortal Continent were indeed more powerful.

“Looking at these soldiers, and their armed equipment.”

“Ithaca doesn’t have as many minerals, nor as many people, nor as many Godhood Practitioners; it truly is enviable…”

“But there is one thing they can’t match, and that is, they lack a Hero like you who can command an army.”

“Only the Wolf King can lead the pack of wolves, otherwise, they are just a pack of jackals, scattering in the face of beasts!”

“Hahahaha…”

Taking another sip of wine, Mode’s face turned a bit red.

Odysseus just smiled at this, though he did not counter him.

On the Mortal Continent, heroes were still emerging, like Diomedes, the king of Argos, who was exceptionally brave.

Yet, perhaps due to his lack of cunning, the Heavenly Empress did not ultimately entrust him with the command of the army.

In addition, he had also heard that Hector from the Troy Kingdom would participate in this siege against Athens.

He was a hero of extraordinary martial prowess, well known to Odysseus.

And Aeneas, also a general from Troy.

Moreover, in rumors, Aeneas was a Demigod birthed from mortal Anchises and the Goddess of Beauty, Aphrodite, known for his archery and considerable Fame.

Still, within Troy’s forces, he never ranked above Hector.

From this perspective, the Troy Kingdom was indeed powerful.

Besides, Menelaus, the King of Sparta, and Agamemnon from Mycenae… Although these famous figures hadn’t done deeds as grand as those of Theseus, nobody could deny their strength.

Even Odysseus himself, though never unduly modest, felt he could surpass others in cunning but did not believe his martial prowess was uniquely unparalleled.

“Alas, King Theseus has died, and I have no chance to compete with him on the battlefield.”

“Mode, how far is it to the rendezvous point of the Alliance?”

“About three days’ journey, we are very close now. But Odysseus, are you truly decided on what to do when the time comes?”

With bright eyes, Mode looked at his friend.

“We all know, the Alliance needs a Commander, at least nominally.”

“Even if All Gods command us to besiege Athens, they never stipulated this.”

“If it were me, I would only wish to follow your command, rather than those foreigners unrelated to us.”

“After all, they might be competent alone, but the Victory of war never depends on one person.”

“…Let’s discuss that when the time comes.”

Somewhat vexed, but Odysseus knew he could not shirk.

Because he was equally clear that the Heavenly Empress, having chosen him to lead the Argos’ army, would not allow him to follow the commands of other divinity adherents.

This was not the original War of Troy, and Athens had no divinely-cast indestructible walls.

At least for now, no one believed they would fail, so a compromise was impossible.

“Let’s meet with the heroes of all countries first, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll divide our forces.”

“Although once the Aigaleo Mountains are breached, it will be much easier moving forward.”

“But there is never just one road leading to Athens.”

The more powerful people are, the more they believe in power.

In this regard, Odysseus didn’t think he could easily convince the leaders of other city-state kingdoms.

So he planned to first meet at the pre-arranged location of all countries and then take it one step at a time.

After breakfast, the enormous army immediately broke camp.

The meeting point of the alliance was a plain by the river, which was once a common resting area for merchant caravans.

Since the distances from their respective countries to Athens varied, their arrival times naturally couldn’t be synchronized. Odysseus considered himself among the faster ones.

Try not to be the first to start a conflict, since the All Gods were still watching them… With this thought in mind, three days later, Odysseus arrived at his destination.

However, to his surprise, what awaited him was not the earlier arrival of allied forces but rather a group of defeated and disorganized soldiers.

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To the west of the Aigaleo Mountains ran the Kifisos River.

The meeting point arranged in advance by the alliance was here, due to its logistical security.

The wide plain by the river was sufficient for a large army to encamp; however, when Odysseus arrived, all he saw was a vast expanse of swirling mud and the moans of injured soldiers.@@novelbin@@

In the distance, thousands of knights were blood-stained with their lances, the figure leading them was somewhat familiar to Odysseus.

Yet, upon noticing his arrival, the knights didn’t stay but quickly rode away.

Clearly, they were not prepared to face the verified military formation of Odysseus at this time.

“What has happened here?”

“What just occurred here?”

The shocked voices came from beside him, but Odysseus couldn’t afford to respond.

His expression was solemn as he unhesitatingly rode towards the camp in front.

The approach of his large army inevitably caught the attention of the soldiers present, and the flags of Ithaca and Argos were starkly vibrant.

As if breathing a sigh of relief, Odysseus saw that the large group of soldiers no longer maintained their formation.

And within the military array, someone rode towards him.

“Excuse me, is the visitor His Highness Diomedes of Argos?”

From a great distance, Odysseus heard the voice of the newcomer.

“No, I am Odysseus of Ithaca.”

“By the command of All Gods, I am entitled to command the army and participate in the assembly of all nations.”

“What happened here, did the Athenians raid your camp?”

As the two sides approached, Odysseus also saw the appearance of the newcomer.

The damaged armor was stained with blood, and the person looked as though soaked in water.

His gaze swept through the surrounding environment, guessing at the prior situation.

And the following exchange confirmed his suspicions.

These were the advance soldiers of Mycenae, one of the powerful kingdoms of the age; their army was not weak.

Even if the Athenians were brave, they couldn’t have caused such disarray with just these men.

However, the Athenians were visibly not stubborn; they had wisdom.

Besides the power of Divine Arts, they also had the assistance of wizards.

Thus, beside Phesus River, the Mycenaean people witnessed the ruthlessness of fire and water.

“So, you’re saying, they moved rocks to the river’s upstream, forging a temporary dam.”

“But this crudely made dam couldn’t hold long and was broken down by a heavy rain.”

“Then the Athenians used witchcraft to manipulate the river and flooded your camp, taking this as an opportunity to launch an attack?”

Judging the surrounding terrain, theoretically, it was impossible for horses to gallop on the ground after a large flooding; this was illogical.

Yet the words of the Mycenaean vanguard before him were so convincing that Odysseus had to believe them.

The Alliance Army of All Countries was arriving, yet the Athenians dared to leave a strategic pass.

It must be said, their leaders were quite courageous.

“But let’s backtrack, the commander of that group of knights I saw earlier, have I seen him before?”

Frowning, he then dismissed the vague sense of familiarity from his mind.

Perhaps he had seen him, but Odysseus now had no time to focus on such trivial matters.

This was a warning and also a caution.

The abilities of the church’s priests often related to the deities they worshiped, and followers of the Sea God were rare across the continent.

Thus, in the wars of the nations, anything related to water was often neglected and no proper precautions were taken.

“Wait for your king to arrive.”

Speaking in a heavy tone, the nearby area was no longer usable for stationing an army.

Thus, Odysseus signaled for the army to continue forward and consoled the general whose fate was likely not very promising.

“We will retaliate. We will show the Athenians the strength of the heroes of all nations.”

Duels before the battle were still common in this era.

Of course, Odysseus would not stand down himself.

This time it was unfortunate for Mycenae, and naturally, it was Agamemnon who should respond to the challenge.