Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

"Golden deer, cypress, and the emblem of the Temple of Artemis on the carriage!"

As they drew closer, the patterns on the shield caused several knowledgeable members of the bandit group to gasp in surprise.

Judging from the carriage's decorations and the fact that it was driven by a woman, they thought they had set a trap and caught a weak lamb. Little did they know that they had been trapped on the mountain road by a formidable she-wolf.

"Good to know! I am Gogo, the Queen of Sparta, wife of King Leonidas!"

Geguo shouted coldly, while pulling off the pouch at his waist and throwing it at the feet of the bandits, offering a combination of kindness and force.

"If you want to take your money, take it all. If you don't want to die, move the stones away now. I will forgive your offense in the presence of Styx, the goddess of oaths. Otherwise, I swear that when I return to the city, I will gather the men of Sparta and kill you all without exception!"

With a tinkling sound, pieces of Zeus's gold rolled around, producing a melodious and alluring ringing sound.

Gulu...

The bandits, who hadn't even managed to gather enough armor and weapons, swallowed hard, their eyes gleaming with greed.

"That woman makes it sound so nice. If we let her go, will we even survive?"

"Boss, they're Spartans..."

"The Spartans themselves are barely able to survive, otherwise, would they have allowed their queen to leave the city alone?"

"That……"

"Don't be afraid! She's all alone, and Sparta is far away! Once we catch this woman, the brothers can experience what it's like to be a king."

The bandit leader, his eyes gleaming, uttered a word that awakened his companions' fear. He grinned maliciously and incited them, his eyes sweeping over them lewdly. He almost stripped Guo Ge of his clothes on the spot, spewing vulgarities.

"Once we've had our fill of fun, I'll take you all to join the Persians! With her around, we'll have no shortage of rewards. We'll become kings and officials, and shit on those noble lords' heads!"

The crude and straightforward provocation made the bandits' eyes light up, and they excitedly surrounded them from all sides.

Her husband was fighting on the front lines for the fate of all Greece, surrounded by enemies, while these scoundrels in the rear were thinking of capturing her for a reward, thus degenerating and defecting to the enemy.

Queen Gogo of Sparta felt a surge of bitterness in her heart. She gritted her teeth and glanced at the mountain path behind her. In the instant she turned back resolutely, her eyes flashed with chilling killing intent. She immediately strode forward, her short sword pointing directly at the bandit leader who had been stirring up trouble.

boom!

However, despite the red and black ether vibrating, the air exploding, and the wind raging, the bandit leader who raised his fist to clash remained unmoved. Instead, the Spartan queen staggered back several steps, her arm aching and numb.

Blood Warrior!

Has the situation in the surrounding cities of Athens deteriorated to such an extent?

Queen Geguo's lower back slammed against the side of the carriage. She struggled to steady herself, but the churning blood in her chest made her heart sink to the bottom.

Even more deadly was that, with a sinister wave of his hand and a grin from the bandit leader, a Soul-Devouring Beast with tattered, purplish-black fur and bound by chains was pulled out of the crowd and its suppression spell was broken. It then advanced from behind, forming a pincer attack with the scoundrel God-Blood Warrior.

boom!

A purplish-black light and shadow rushed in swiftly. The Spartan Queen raised her round shield to block the beast's charge, but due to the disparity in strength, she staggered backward, causing the carriage to creak.

The short sword that had been raised was about to be thrust out when the Soul-Devouring Beast raised its claws and violently slapped it away.

Finished!

As the stench swept over them, Guoge closed her eyes in sorrow.

puff!

At the critical moment, a sharp sound rang out as a Middle Eastern-style throwing dagger pierced the skull of the Soul-Devouring Beast with lightning speed, shattering its demonic core.

The tall and mighty monster crashed to the ground, twitched a few times, and then lay completely still, becoming a corpse that was gradually losing its warmth.

"Who dares to kill my pet! Get out here right now! I'll chop you into pieces and feed you..."

The bandit leader's eyes twitched, and he barked in a show of bravado at those around him.

Puff puff puff!

However, before he could finish speaking, several bursts of air exploded nearby. One by one, the bandits surrounding the carriage clutched their bleeding throats and collapsed to the ground in terror.

At the same time, the surrounding vegetation rustled, and a blurry white figure moved through the bandits at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye. Wherever the silvery, cold light passed, the bandits along the way were all beheaded.

Even though blood splattered like red rain, the blurry figures walking among the bandits remained spotless, like white ghosts wielding the Grim Reaper's scythe.

"Monster! Monster! No... don't come any closer!"

Within a few breaths, seeing more than half of his hundred men slaughtered, the bandit leader, his eyes bloodshot and his defenses crumbling, bypassed the wounded King Geguo and screamed as he rushed toward the carriage, intending to seize it and escape this hellish place that had become a slaughterhouse.

puff!

But the white demon arrived in an instant, and a broadsword pinned his fingers and hands to the rafters.

"Did I tell you to move? Are you in such a hurry to be reborn?"

"No, no, I... don't kill me! There's gold on the mountain, you can have it all! If that's not enough, there are also the women I kidnapped, all of them..."

The bandit leader, pale-faced, knelt on the ground, weeping and begging for mercy in fear.

puff!

A flash of blood appeared as the bandit leader's trachea was instantly severed. He could not die immediately, but could only endure the painful suffocation of blood filling his alveoli and the agony of his life force slipping away.

At this moment, death was a luxury for him.

Finally, the bandit leader's bloodshot eyes gradually dilated, and he was finally free.

Seeing the white-robed assassin suddenly appear before her, and the suspicious West Asian face under the hood, the Spartan Queen quietly picked up her sword and stood guard in front of the carriage.

“Geguo, don’t treat the kind person who helped us like this. He meant no harm. I have a feeling that I am being guided by a divine oracle.”

That voice... it sounds familiar.

After taking down another bandit, Samael turned around in surprise.

At this moment, the curtain was gently lifted by a slender, marble-sculpted hand, revealing a face that was both charming and elegant, stunningly beautiful, beneath a laurel crown that held back her long, flowing golden hair.

Damn, what a coincidence!

The blonde beauty extended her fingers, nodded, and smiled, subtly expressing goodwill.

"Hello, stranger. My name is Helen, the high priestess of the Temple of Luna in Sparta..."

Chapter 97 The Brotherhood at Your Service (3/3)

That's it, it's definitely her!

Helen, the Spartan princess, was an old friend of the twin swordsmen Castor and Polux who had sneaked off to Calydon to hunt!

Furthermore, according to the lessons in Greek mythology that Queen Hippolyta of the Amazons gave him in the Land of Nothingness, the Trojan War, which sparked the duel between the old and new gods, had absolutely nothing to do with this first beauty of Greece.

Because she has always maintained her faith in the goddess Artemis and vowed to remain chaste, she remains unmarried despite her great reputation.

Samael wasn't too surprised by this shift in the course of history.

In those days, it was either kill someone or be killed. The Greek city-states fought each other to the point of madness for all sorts of bizarre reasons.

Moreover, the treasures and people of Troicca, which were part of Greece's expansionist path, made the Greeks drool.

Before the full-scale outbreak of the Trojan War, Hercules, Telamon, and other veteran bandits had already turned going to Troy to fight, rob, and kidnap people into a classic scenario.

King Priam of Troy was able to succeed to the throne because he witnessed his father and brother being killed by cleavers, and he himself narrowly escaped death, which made it his turn to inherit the throne.

This is why the old man understood the importance of survival. Even with the help of his son Hector and the protection of the gods, as Troy grew stronger, he remained committed to making peace with the Greek states and never considered taking revenge for his father or brothers.

In fact, long before the Trojan War began, Hector led his fleet to the kingdoms of Mycenae and Sparta because of conflicting interests. He was ordered by his father to try to persuade Agamemnon to negotiate a peace treaty.

As a result, the relationship was not repaired, and Paris, the son the old king had taken in, ran off with Helen, the wife of Menelaus, Agamemnon's younger brother.

Even more audacious, Paris also robbed many Greek women and the treasures of King Menelaus.

Thus, through Agamemnon's orchestration, the Trojan War commenced.

The fact that Agamemnon was able to command such widespread support precisely illustrates the Greeks' attitude towards the city-state of Troy.

Ultimately, Helen was nothing more than a pretext for starting the war.

Therefore, even without Helen, two tigers cannot share one mountain, and the Greeks and Trojans would eventually go to war.

Moreover, behind this lies the scheme and instigation of the gods; they are destined to be mere pawns, their fates dictated by the wheel of destiny.

Unfortunately, the old king of Troy failed to grasp this point, and even with his patient and patient nature, he could not escape the fate of his city's destruction and his family's demise.

Fortunately, for safety's sake, the disguise wasn't removed.

Samael, feeling somewhat guilty, raised his hand to touch his West Asian-style cheek, reviewed the logically consistent and well-documented historical events, and his brow relaxed.

So, this is definitely not his fault, right?

Immediately, the ancient serpent's eyes flickered, and it looked up at the high priest of the Temple of Luna, renowned throughout Greece, standing in front of the car door, his right hand on his chest, bowing slightly.

"High Priest, it's a pleasure to meet you. I'm a traveler who makes a living by hunting. I just happened to be passing by and offered my help. Of course, judging from your attire, I'm also trying to earn a living and earn some extra commission."

"Hunting? I've never seen a hunter like you!"

The Spartan queen remained vigilant and astute, still harboring doubts about the origins of this strange man.

"Of course, some hunters hunt magical beasts, while I am responsible for hunting living people."

The ancient snake pondered meaningfully, then squatted down and began to loot the bandits' belongings from their corpses. Its movements were skillful and fluid, and in the blink of an eye, it had taken all the valuables from the nearly one hundred bandits.

Tch, a bunch of poor bastards!

Finally, Samael looked disdainfully at the bandits lying haphazardly on the ground, weighed his greatest haul of the trip—the money bag that Queen Gogo of Sparta had thrown away earlier—dusted off the dust, tied it to his waist with satisfaction, and then a pleased smile appeared on his lips. His gaze was deep and profound as he spoke in a deep voice.

"Let me introduce myself, Ezio Auditore da Florence, from the city of Florence, Rome, and a member of the Brotherhood..."

An assassin? I see...

The Spartan Queen and Helen exchanged a glance, their eyes subtly communicating, and nodded in tacit agreement, their doubts lessening slightly.

"Only the two of you women? Looks like you've run into trouble?"

The ancient serpent's gaze remained tense as it observed the Spartan queen's surroundings. A furrow unconsciously appeared between its brows, and as it spoke its question, its vertical pupils flickered inwardly.

"we are not……"

"Yes, we have important business to attend to and must go to Athens immediately. Could you please protect us as we travel together? The reward would be thirty times the amount you have on hand! If that's not enough, we can discuss it further on the way!"

Compared to the Spartan Queen who remained vigilant, this High Priestess Helen interrupted Gogo's speech, like a flower that had escaped from a greenhouse, and decisively extended an olive branch of conscription.

Heading to Athens? Could it be that something happened in Sparta?

Samael keenly noticed the key details, a sense of foreboding brewing in his heart. After a moment's thought, he nodded seriously.

"No problem, I'll take this job, but the reward—300 times the amount!"

At the same time, the ancient snake weighed the money bag in its hand, its gaze burning with desire.

"Okay! Please move the rocks blocking the way. It's urgent, let's get going!"

Upon hearing this, Helen breathed a sigh of relief and immediately agreed. She took off a gold bracelet from her hand, which was inlaid with gemstones and looked very valuable, and handed it to Samael as a deposit.

After many years, the little girl who was once protected under the wings of her father and brothers has become so decisive and efficient.

Samael was filled with emotion, feeling a sense of profound change and loss of people and things. But he didn't slow down. He immediately started knocking and pushing, and in a few breaths, he cleared a path through the pile of rubble that was wide enough for one person to pass through. With a little more work, the carriage would be able to pass through.

Just as the ancient serpent was earnestly playing the role of a bounty hunter and paving the way, Queen Gogo couldn't help but pull Helen into the carriage. Her eyes were hesitant, she gritted her teeth, and whispered something in her ear.

"Lady Helen, isn't it too risky to rashly recruit this stranger of unknown origin into our ranks? You must understand the mission we bear; we cannot afford even the slightest mistake, otherwise..."

"Don't worry, if he hadn't made a move, we would have been captured and humiliated by these bandits long ago. Whatever his purpose may be, this at least proves that, for now, he can be trusted."

Helen patted Gogo's shoulder gently to comfort him, then lifted the curtain of the car window, glanced back, and lowered her voice.

"As for the rest, do we even have a choice?"

At the same time, Samael, who was clearing the road, sensed something and suddenly turned around. He immediately saw the bandits who had been killed and scattered earlier swarming towards him from behind.

You dare come back? You're so stubborn! You're asking for it!

Samael drew his greatsword, his vertical pupils narrowed, radiating a chilling aura.

However, as the distance drew slightly closer, the ancient snake could vaguely see the terror and despair on the faces of those people, and the words uttered by their open mouths were—"Help!"

"Run! The monsters are coming!"

Just then, Queen Gogo emerged from the carriage, her face pale, and gripped the reins, whipping her warhorse.

However, the surrounding sky suddenly darkened, dark clouds gathered, and the chilling sound of flapping wings grew ever closer.

Squeak, squeak, squeak...

In an instant, a long line of black, silver-gray, and pale gold bats gathered together and swooped down from the dark clouds.