At the same time, before Thermopylae.
"Roar! Roar!"
Furious beast roars shook the wilderness. Amid the spreading dust and smoke, two Behemoths flung away the rocks that had crashed onto them, revealing scorched patches burned into their bodies. Their eyes turned blood-red as they locked onto the culprit who had injured them, charging forward with hateful fury.
The force of their trampling shook the earth and mountains, making the fortress already covered in spiderweb cracks crumble with a constant clatter. It became shakier by the moment, and the hundred or so men at the breach felt as though a great enemy had arrived.
Rumble!
Suddenly, a roar loud enough to drown out the Behemoths' stomping came from the sea to the side.
Both armies instinctively turned toward the sea, only to see two figures racing across the water as fast as lightning. Behind them, two towering waves a hundred meters high surged forward with overwhelming momentum.
"I pray to the Moon Goddess of my destiny. Grant strength to my body and calm to my spirit. And here, let my fate be decided. Pure love of the Moon Goddess. Charged. I'm going in first!"
Amid cheerful laughter, a hunter with a build as sturdy as a bear and a simple, boyish face sprinted toward the shore under the Sea God's protection. He leapt dozens of zhang in one bound, shooting up onto the broken cliff like a cannonball.
Beastly Might! Moon Goddess's Blessing!
The newcomer looked up at the giant claw covering the sky above him, stomped forward, and activated his talent and blessing. Halos spun and resonated around him. The muscles in his arms bulged and knotted as his broad hands swung the club-like stone weapon in a sweeping blow.
Boom!
The two forces collided, sending terrifying sonic booms rippling outward. At the center of the clash, the earth sank a hundred meters in an instant, forming a conical pit.
At the same time, one large figure and one small figure smashed into the rock layer, making slabs of earth bulge upward.
Bang!
Orion was the first to leap out from underground. He bumped his fists together, his smile undiminished.
"What strength! But compared to me, you're still a little short. Subduing wild beasts happens to be my specialty. Hahaha, watch me twist you around and beat you flat!"
"Roar!"
The Behemoth pulled the lower half of its body out of the dirt, roared, and beat its chest as if it had been humiliated. Then it charged once more at the humanoid creature.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
For a time, the two muscle monsters abandoned all so-called technique and unleashed their full strength, trading punch after punch in a brutal brawl. Wherever they passed, earth and stone flew, the ground caved in, and conical craters like the surface of the moon were left everywhere.
Everyone nearby, friend and foe alike, hurriedly pulled back, not daring to approach for fear of being caught in the chaos and turned into meat paste.
"You beast, stop right there!"
At the same time, before Thermopylae, a two-meter-tall muscular man with red divine markings across his chest fell like a meteor. He raised both hands and braced them against the head of another Behemoth. Amid a thunderous boom that shook the earth and mountains, he forced it to a halt and pressed that savage head down into the mud.
"Roar!"
The apocalyptic monster flailed its limbs against the ground, kicking up dust as it struggled, yet it could not advance even an inch. Growing more and more violent, it immediately raised its foreclaws and, guided by beastly instinct, clapped them toward the center.
"This one's mine!"
The burly man roared with overwhelming ferocity. His messy long hair danced like writhing snakes, his muscles flushed red, and steaming heat surged from his pores along with Ether.
With both arms, the man grabbed the Behemoth's head. Like an ant lifting a mountain, he hurled it into the sea with an absurd visual impact, then jumped into the water after it and began a fierce fight with the giant beast.
"Heracles!"
"Heracles!"
"Heracles!"
Sensing the resonance in their own divine blood and recognizing the newcomer's identity, the Spartan soldiers grew wildly excited. Like fanatical fans, they struck their shields and shouted the name of this great Greek hero.
Big Sis, Orion, and Heracles are here!
Samael's cross-shaped star pupils opened and swept across the battlefield. The corner of his lips lifted, and his taut muscles relaxed slightly.
But in the next moment, the Persian army that had regrouped pressed forward again, giving the defenders of Thermopylae no chance to breathe.
And at the head of each force stood Divine Blood Heroes.
"The question hidden at the bottom of this coffin is what measures you and judges your punishment! Go forth, give trials to wisdom and punishment to ignorance. 1, Ahat! 2, Shtayim! 3, Shalosh!"
"I tell tales of the night. These are endless wish stories woven from my words. You too shall be unable to escape the Mandate of Heaven. Ballad of Heroes!"
Two mysterious, full-figured, brown-skinned arcane mages unleashed their strongest attacks toward Thermopylae one after another. Behind them, the arcane mages likewise began chanting divine words, preparing to launch their offensive.
"The principles of Magecraft, the laws of the world, all phenomena return to their origin. All Laws Must Be Broken!"
However, the brilliant Ether tide gathering above the Persian legion was pierced like colorful bubbles by several purple-red arcs of light shooting in from afar.
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
At the same time, hundreds of Ether light streams refracted from midair, bombing the Persian arcane mages one after another just as they were ready to strike.
In an instant, powerful explosions rose in succession, and the caught-off-guard spellcasters wailed across the ground.
Behind us!
Before the arcane mages could react, regroup, and turn their attacks toward the enemies behind them, a strange scent filled the air, seemingly a mixture of barley porridge and herbs.
They could not help taking several deep breaths. Their stomachs growled, and the Magecraft theories and divine words they had been weaving in their minds were instantly replaced by pure, overwhelming hunger.
"Eat! Eat! So hungry! I want to eat!"
Amid the repeated murmurs that sounded like a curse, many of the arcane mages' bodies shrank, their limbs growing shorter and shorter. Soon, even their clothes deflated with them and slid to the ground.
"Oink… oink…"
As the garments wriggled, piglets of pink, white, brown, and yellow crawled out from within, greedily rooting through the soil in search of food.
"Hehe, sorry to keep you waiting, my beloved piglets! Prepare for the feast. Hold a wild banquet to entertain our guests! Come now, eat and drink to your hearts' content! Forbidden Feast! This is your end! Ahahahahaha!"
A triumphant cackle came from above, and a sinister shadow swept over everyone's heads.
Hundreds of pale dragon teeth scattered down and sank into the soil. With a bone-grating sound that made teeth ache, Dragon's Tooth soldiers wielding swords, shields, bows, and arrows burst from the earth and charged toward the spellcasters.
Under one unexpected blow after another, these pampered lordly mages lost all order and could barely look after themselves.
The spellcasters who luckily avoided being caught looked up and were shocked to see a giant dragon with pitch-black scales spreading its wings in the sky, red-black dragonfire gathering in its mouth.
On the dragon's back, two witches holding Staffs of the Dark Moon looked down from above. One purple-red Magecraft array after another, constantly rotating, had already formed above their heads.
It was Medea and Circe, along with the Colchian dragon. Even that unlucky thing had been summoned out!
Samael's lips parted into a grin. He raised the flaming Demon Sword and focused on the four figures rushing out of the dust and smoke before him, closing in from all sides.