Myth: The Spiritual Dominator

The late autumn wind blew across the wilderness, bringing with it some signs of a cold winter.

The sun rises in the east, but its light is obscured by clouds, making it look dim.

Hundreds of miles west of the Aigario Mountains, the goddess of dawn, Eos, had just revealed her beautiful face.

The endless camps were built on a hill, next to a branch of a river.

This is a suitable place to garrison troops, occupying a favorable geographical location and close to a water source.

Obviously, although the army's commander did not think they would be attacked here, he did not take it lightly.

The soldiers on guard and patrol were distributed in light and dark, which seemed very methodical.

In the camp, the army was cooking and preparing breakfast.

"How is it? This is your first time leading an army into battle. Are you feeling nervous now?"

On a huge rock on the hill, Maud, wearing armor, asked with a smile.

Over the years, the young man has matured a lot, but his personality has not changed much.

"Nervous... maybe a little."

“But I feel more like I’m a little excited.”

Shaking his head slightly, Odysseus smiled and said, "Aren't you?"

"Under the guidance of God, destroy cities and strongholds, defeat the armies of the great powers of the time, and spread your fame."

"This was the case for all heroes in ancient times, but now it's our turn."

“Hahahahaha…that’s right.”

"Heroes of old have done this before, but now it's our turn."

Laughing, Maude took a sip of wine.

Yes, whether it was him, or Odysseus, or even Argos, Mycenae, Tiryns, Thebes, or even Troy.

The kings and generals of these kingdoms came here with similar feelings and never doubted the victory of this war.

Although they were attacking Athens, the kingdom protected by the goddess of wisdom, this time they had the help of the gods.

Compared with the difficulties of the war, they cared more about who would lead the coalition forces to victory.

This was true even after Odysseus learned of the situation in Eleusis, as the beasts that were able to breach the city walls were only able to do so because there was no one to restrain them.

This kind of thing will never happen again here.

"But then again, Odysseus, my friend."

"Ithaca is just a small country on the sea. We should have accepted the will of the sea god and launched an attack from the sea under the leadership of the Kingdom of Pylos."

"But I didn't expect that you would be valued by the Queen of Heaven and be allowed to command the army of Argos through an oracle."

Looking back at the tents on the hill, Mod had to admit that the big country on the continent was much stronger than them.

"Look at these soldiers and their weapons and equipment."

"Ithaka doesn't have so many minerals, nor so many people, and certainly not so many clergy. This is really enviable..."

"But there is one thing they cannot compare to, and that is that none of them has a hero like you who can command an army."

"Only the Wolf King can lead the wolf pack. Otherwise, they are just a group of jackals, fleeing in all directions before the beasts!"

"Hahaha……"

After taking another sip of wine, Maude's face turned a little red.

Odysseus just smiled at this, but did not intend to refute.

There are still many heroes on the earth, such as Diomedes, the king of Argos, who is extremely brave.

But perhaps because he was inferior in wisdom and strategy, the Queen Mother did not ultimately give him command of the army.

In addition, he also heard that Hector of the Trojan Kingdom would also come to participate in the siege of Athens.

He was also a hero with extraordinary military strength, and Odysseus had heard of him a long time ago.

And Aeneas, who was also a general of Troy.

Moreover, according to legend, Aeneas is the offspring of the mortal Anchises and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite, and is also a natural demigod.

He is world-famous for his archery skills and has a considerable reputation.

However, he still did not rank above Hector in the Trojan army.

From this perspective, the Trojan Kingdom at that time was indeed very powerful.

In addition, there are Agamemnon, the king of Mycenae, Menelaos, the king of Sparta... Although these famous people in the world have never done great things like Theseus, no one will deny their strength.

Even Odysseus himself, although he never underestimated himself, only thought that he could surpass others in wisdom, but did not think that his military power was unique.

"Unfortunately, King Theseus is dead. I have no chance to compete with him on the battlefield."

"Maud, how far are we from where the coalition forces will meet?"

"It's about three days' journey. We are very close here. But Odysseus, have you really thought about what you are going to do when the time comes?"

With bright eyes, Maude looked at his friend.

"We all know that the coalition forces need a commander-in-chief, at least in name only."

"Even though the gods commanded us to attack Athens, they never stipulated this."

"Anyway, if it were me, I would only listen to your command, not those foreigners who have nothing to do with us."

"After all, they may be good at fighting, but the outcome of a war never depends on one person."

"… Let's talk about this matter later."

It was a bit of a headache, but Odysseus knew he couldn't back down.

Because he also knew very well that since the Queen of Heaven could choose him to lead the army of Argos, it would be impossible for her to allow him to obey the orders of other believers of the gods.

This is not the original Trojan War, and Athens does not have an indestructible wall forged by the gods.

At least now, no one thinks they will fail, so compromise is impossible.

"Let's go meet the heroes of various countries first. If that doesn't work, we can split up into several groups."

“Once we break through the Aigario Mountains, the journey will be much easier.”

“But there is always more than one road to Athens.”

The more powerful a person is, the more superstitious he is about power.

Odysseus did not think he could easily convince the leaders of other city-states in this regard.

So he planned to first meet up at the place agreed upon by the various countries, and then take it one step at a time.

So after breakfast, the huge army immediately set out.

The place where the coalition forces gathered was a plain near the river, which was once a place where passing caravans often rested.

The time it takes for each country to reach Athens is different, so it is naturally impossible to have the same arrival time. Odysseus asked himself if he was still among the faster ones.

Try not to be the first to get into conflict, after all, the gods are still watching them... With this thought in mind, Odysseus arrived at his destination three days later.

However, what he didn't expect was that what was waiting for him was not the coalition forces that arrived first, but a group of defeated soldiers.

·······

To the west of the Aigario Mountains lies the Kifissos River.

The coalition forces had arranged the rendezvous point in advance here because it was convenient for ensuring the safety of logistics.

The vast plains along the river were large enough for a large army to camp, but when Odysseus arrived, all he saw was large areas of rolling mud and the wailing of wounded soldiers.

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

However, when they noticed his arrival, the team of knights did not stay for long, but quickly went away.

Obviously, they were not prepared to face Odysseus's well-ordered army right now.

"How is this going?"

"What just happened here?"

A shocked voice came from beside him, but Odysseus didn't bother to respond.

His expression was somewhat solemn, and he rode his horse towards the camp ahead without hesitation.

The approach of the army undoubtedly attracted the attention of the soldiers here, and the flags of Ithaca and Argos were so bright.

As if to his relief, Odysseus saw that large sections of the soldiers no longer maintained their formation.

And in the army, there were also people riding horses towards him.

"Excuse me, is this His Majesty Diomedes of Argos?"

From a great distance, Odysseus heard the voices of those who were coming.

"No, I am Odysseus of Ithaca."

"By the command of the gods, I can lead the army and participate in the alliance of nations."

"What's going on here? Did the Athenians raid your camp?"

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

The damaged armor was stained with blood, but the whole person looked as if he was soaked in water.

Glancing at the surroundings, he roughly guessed what had happened.

The subsequent communication between the two sides confirmed his guess.

These soldiers who arrived first were the vanguard of Mycenae. As one of the most powerful kingdoms at the time, their army was not weak.

No matter how brave the Athenians were, it was impossible to defeat them with just these people.

However, it is clear that the Athenians were not rigid; they were wise.

In addition to the power of magic, they also have the assistance of wizards.

So, right beside the Phaeos River, the Mycenae people witnessed the mercilessness of water and fire.

"So they moved rocks upstream of the river and built a temporary dam."

"But this crudely built dam didn't last long at all, as it was washed away by heavy rain."

"So the Athenians used witchcraft to manipulate the river water and flood your camp, and then took the opportunity to attack you?"

Looking at the surrounding environment, theoretically, the ground after the flood would not allow horses to gallop, which is not reasonable.

However, the words of the Mycenaean pioneer in front of him were so convincing that Odysseus had to believe it.

The coalition forces of various countries were approaching, but the Athenians dared to leave the pass.

I have to say, their leader is quite courageous.

"But speaking of which, have I seen the commander of that group of knights before?"

He frowned, then immediately erased the inexplicable feeling of familiarity from his mind.

Perhaps he had, but Odysseus had no time to dwell on such trifles now.

This is a warning and also a reminder.

What the priests of the church can do is often related to the gods they believe in, but believers of the sea god are rare on the mainland.

As a result, wars among countries often ignore anything related to water and make no corresponding preparations at all.

"Wait until your king arrives."

He spoke in a deep voice, this area could not be used for military stationing.

So Odysseus signaled the army to continue moving forward and comforted the general who was probably going to have a bad end.

"We will retaliate and show the Athenians the power of heroes from all nations."

Single combat before war was still a common occurrence in this era.

Of course, Odysseus would not do anything.

It was Mycenae that was unlucky this time, so naturally Agamemnon should be the one to respond to the challenge.

"—Odysseus."

A voice called from behind, and Maude was riding a horse quickly.

Obviously, he also knew what happened here.

But unlike Odysseus, Maud's tone was somewhat light.

"What did I say, Odysseus? They can't do it."

"You see, right at the beginning, they suffered at the hands of the Athenians."

"If you ask me, that Agamemnon is no match for—"

"——Ahem."

With a light cough, Odysseus indicated that there were others here.

Seeing this scene, Maude calmed down a little.

"Well, actually he is still quite capable, but maybe not that powerful."

Pursing his lips, Maude continued.

But in his mind, after this incident, the Mycenaeans would not have the face to serve as the commander of the coalition forces again.