Nobody knows how to be a villain better than me.

Wherever it passed, the bandits along the way were instantly drained of all their blood, turning them into dried corpses with skin and bones clinging to their bodies.

Immediately afterwards, these shriveled corpses staggered to their feet, their scarlet eyes radiating venomous malice and a beastly bloodlust, casting their hungry gazes toward the carriage surrounded by dark clouds in the center, and gathering around with low growls!

Chapter Ninety-Eight: Eternal Divine Punishment!

boom!

The swarming bats, forming a spherical cage, were closing in on the carriage.

With a rapid, trembling chant, several streaks of red and black sword light exploded, and the blazing bright yellow flames, swept up by the whirlwind, formed scorching pillars of fire that scattered the bat army that was closing in to form a net. Instantly, thousands of bats were burned to ashes by the flames.

It actually blocked it!

As Gego and Helen, who were holding out with their carriage, watched the dark clouds gathering in the sky being pierced by the rising pillar of fire, their eyes showed deep astonishment and surprise.

"Is this what's been hunting you down?"

Samael's eyes flickered. With his back to the two men, he frowned and asked, his wrist trembling as he spoke. His greatsword spun and slashed, forming an impenetrable net of swords that tore the bats, which were now attacking from all sides, into mincemeat.

In the blink of an eye, a thick layer of reddish-black rotting flesh and blood piled up on the ground, and a heavy stench of blood and decaying corpses filled the air, making people nauseous.

But a strange sense of security also arose in the hearts of Gego and Helen.

“That’s right. Ever since we left Sparta, this monster has been following the caravan, trying to harm us.”

Queen Gogo of Sparta, while holding a sword and shield to keep watch and finish off any who slipped through the net, calmed herself down and gritted her teeth to tell the truth. As she looked back, a trace of sorrow appeared deep in her eyes.

Helen, standing beside her, lowered her head, bit her cherry lips with her pearly teeth, her gaze dark, and added softly.

"In fact, when we left the city, we were accompanied by a guard of 200 people, including more than 40 witches and priests. But as night approached, or when we passed through dense forests and valleys, our people would often disappear. When we saw them again, they were often dried up as corpses with all their blood drained."

After we lost about a third of our manpower, the priests and priestesses, realizing something was wrong, set up an ambush and unleashed a wide-ranging ritual incantation, which finally forced these monsters out.

But they were too terrifying. To hold back these monsters, these evil spirits were far beyond what ordinary people could handle. To protect our escape, they all…”

Clearly, the fate of those Spartan soldiers and clergy who stayed behind in batches to cover the rear was self-evident.

Moreover, despite how easily Samael slashed and killed them, the strange recoil and resistance transmitted from the sword's edge piercing through the membrane allowed the ancient serpent to easily deduce that conventional sword cuts and arrow strikes would hardly be effective against these fast, small, and highly defensive bats.

If these monsters were to appear in hordes above humanity, a terrible disaster would surely follow.

hum!

Samael lightly wiped the spine of his sword, and runes floated and flickered on the blade, resonating with the ether in the air to form a visible magical tide. Terrifying flames burst forth in thousands of raindrops.

These flames, imbued with divine intent, instantly tore open the skin of the surrounding bats upon contact, their flesh sizzling and dripping as if concentrated sulfuric acid had been poured on them, melting them away in the blink of an eye.

Squeak!

Intercepted, the squeals of rats in mid-air suddenly turned urgent, and the dense bats scattered under the rising flames, converging in front to form a handsome young man with black hair and vertical pupils, dressed in a formal suit, blocking the road.

Ho ho ho ho!

At the same time, dozens of desiccated corpses, drained of their blood and wandering around behind, roared and rushed up, scratching and lunging at the carriage.

Samael glanced at the carriage behind him, casually tossed out two wooden pieces engraved with runes, and pondered for a moment.

Queen Gogo and Helen instinctively grasped the small object that had shot into their arms. Upon slight contact, they immediately felt the oppressive feeling under the dark clouds vanish. The ether flowing around them formed a light membrane that seemed to seal them in, protecting them from the erosion of evil.

"Take this and go up the mountain. Leave this to me!"

The ancient snake narrowed its eyes slightly, and its deep voice carried an unquestionable tone. Gogo subconsciously pulled Helen up, abandoned the carriage, and ran to the side towards the higher ground to avoid the confrontation on the mountain road.

"Heh, so you want to follow those people's example and cover the rear, buying these two little lambs time to escape?"

The young man, with his stable physique, revealed his full form. His slightly brown, muscular body was covered with streaks of blood-red divine patterns, and a jet-black inverted cross was condensed on his forehead.

"Tsk, this cat-and-mouse game is so addictive. Keep struggling, and hopefully this time you'll give me some fun."

The man's eerie, blood-red eyes looked mockingly at his prey standing still, chuckling strangely. His ten fingers, hanging down, extended into long, white nails resembling bone spurs, as if he were enjoying the hunt. He took a few deep breaths of the bloody scent in the air and slowly walked over.

Clearly, this guy wasn't going all out in his pursuit of Gogo and Helen; instead, he was taking it all out for fun, slowly breaking down the rats' bodies and even their minds.

"Cat and mouse? Sacrifice to cover the retreat?"

Samael slightly raised his eyes, held his greatsword upright, and moved his lips, causing runes to gather and dance around the blade.

"You seem to have misunderstood. I'm worried that I might lose control and accidentally wipe them all out!"

hum!

In an instant, the surrounding ether converged wildly, and a red and black flame with a diameter of tens of meters shot into the sky.

Danger!

The black-haired man's pupils contracted sharply. His instinctive reaction made him clearly feel that every drop of blood in his body was boiling and trembling. It was a hellfire that could burn away divinity and life.

go!

The jumble of thoughts in his mind instantly coalesced into a subconscious drive. However, the black-haired man felt a chill run down his spine. Just as he was about to retreat, the moment his gaze focused on his prey, the flashing cross-shaped eyes opposite him seemed like a vast array of stars crashing down from the sky, making his body feel as if it were stuck in mud, unable to pull himself out.

In an instant, the crimson and black sword light crashed down with overwhelming force, tearing apart and burning the dense dark clouds in the sky like a wad of cotton. The wind howled, the surrounding vegetation was crushed and pulverized, the protruding rocks turned to dust, and the nearby mummified corpses spontaneously combusted and decomposed.

boom!

In an instant, the ground cracked open, and a chasm a hundred meters long was formed where the sword light reached. Everywhere there were charred marks from the burning flames, and the black-haired man in the very center had his body split apart, turning into a rain of blood that scattered in all directions.

"Trying to run? Stay here!"

Samael frowned and sneered. Runes rained down from the sky like meteors, and once they caught up with the gathered blood dots, they exploded and evaporated their life force.

"The sacrifices God requires are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart. All who harm me will be punished sevenfold—eternal divine retribution!"

In an instant, the pursuers, driven to the brink of despair, used the flying blood droplets as a medium to resonate rhythmically in mid-air. With a rapid shout, thousands of red and black runes appeared near Samael and then crashed down.

As the billowing smoke and dust gradually dissipated, a figure leaped out from the crater, which was hundreds of meters deep, its opening and closing cross-shaped eyes gazing eerily at the deathly silence around it.

The ancient serpent lowered its sharp gaze, coughed slightly, raised its hand to wipe away a trickle of blood, unbuttoned its clothes, revealing red and black flame-shaped patterns that were spreading and expanding from its chest, and its brows furrowed involuntarily.

Chapter Ninety-Nine: The Fox Who Repays Kindness with Enmity

Tsk, no wonder he's one of the two gods of Persia.

This mark, strong enough to curse even the gods, remains like a leech, impossible to remove.

After a moment of rest, Samael's slightly pale face regained some color, but he still showed signs of fatigue as he began to move. The flame-shaped branding, intertwined with his flesh and blood, seemed to have grown stronger.

Furthermore, anyone who harms me will be punished sevenfold.

The ancient serpent glanced at the charred and shattered battlefield around it, closed its eyes to filter the details of the battle, and silently pondered the pursuer's special prayer, its brow gradually furrowing.

If I remember correctly, it was him...

It seems that even the long-dormant Israelites have joined the battlefield in this Greco-Persian War.

After calming himself down a bit, Samael sheathed his greatsword and slowly made his way to the mountaintop.

The situation in Greece seems somewhat complicated. I need to use this identity for a while longer to understand the situation and formulate strategies. Sending Gogo and Helen up the mountain is also a temporary measure to ensure that I can act freely.

Although there were quite a few bandits who escaped the bat swarm and ran back to their mountain stronghold for refuge, they were mostly ordinary people with limited fighting ability. If a conflict were to break out, the Spartan queen could handle it on her own.

Besides, the amulets made from the World Tree fragments are all in their hands. As long as these two don't do anything reckless, they'll definitely be fine.

Sure enough, after several leaps and climbs, Samael jumped onto the shabby mountain village built with a fence.

Dozens of terrified bandits squatted on the ground, heads in their hands, facing the patrolling Ge Guo, not daring to have the slightest thought of resistance.

On the flat open ground, there were seven or eight small boxes piled up, half-closed and half-open, revealing gold and silver artifacts, coins and gems inside.

Beside Helen, who wore a golden laurel wreath and a light veil, several fair-skinned and beautiful women, after confirming that they had been rescued, wept with joy and wailed.

Under the soothing words and simple divine healing of the high priest of the Moon Temple, the victims, whose parents and brothers had been murdered and who had been abducted and violated on the mountain, finally calmed down.

After a brief exchange, the group unexpectedly learned the identity of the bandit leader.

It turns out that this was an officer who had fled from other fallen city-states. Half a month ago, he stormed the mountain stronghold, killed the leader, and took over as king.

Moreover, this rather shrewd fellow seems to have already connected with many nobles and fellow bandits, and is genuinely planning to occupy this place, looking for an opportunity to exchange pleasantries with the Persians, and waiting to see how the war unfolds before making a move.

No wonder he possesses divine blood and his skills are also remarkable.

Ge Guo seemed lost in thought, but his heart grew even heavier.

The fact that even the core forces of the city-state began planning to side with the Persians after their defeat is enough to prove that they had been terrified.

With the internal situation so corrupt, can the front lines really be held?

Moreover, this is almost within the territory of Athens. With so many defensive loopholes, what exactly are Mount Ares and the council chamber doing?

The more she thought about it, the more hopeless the Spartan queen felt. An invisible chill seeped into her body and penetrated to her very bones.

"Your Highness, please keep an eye on these people. The carriages down the mountain have been completely destroyed. I'll go check the stables. It's still quite a distance from here to Athens, so hopefully we can find a suitable means of transportation."

At this moment, the white-robed bodyguard who stepped forward interrupted Ge Guo's thoughts and began assigning tasks. The two men facing each other seemed to have reached some kind of tacit understanding and nodded to each other.

Before leaving, the assassin casually pulled Helen, who was comforting the women, along with him.

This...so fast?

The high priest felt a jolt in his heart as he noticed his wrist being pulled tighter, and instinctively looked at Gogo.

However, to everyone's surprise, the Spartan queen nodded seriously and showed no intention of stopping her.

Recalling the earth-shaking aftershocks of the battlefield, the high priest of the Moon Goddess Temple sighed inwardly.

Indeed, they had no choice; this statement came true ahead of time.

As the two figures moved further and further away towards the back mountain, the Spartan Queen recalled the cryptic gesture of the assassin's bodyguard gesturing across her neck, and her gaze returned to the bandits in the clearing, flickering with a sinister light.

Indeed, it's best to clean up any troubles before setting off.

Meanwhile, after a search, Samael not only found seven or eight fine horses in the stables behind the mountain, but also found two slightly damaged carriages in a corner.

These are mostly spoils of war plundered by mountain bandits; with a little repair, they can be used.

So the ancient snake found a rope from the storeroom, and asked Helen to get some clean water and strips of cloth, and began cleaning the two vehicles.

The high priest stared at the velvet cloth in his hand and the carriage that had been wiped halfway, and when he came to his senses, he was stunned.

So, what was she worried about just now?

This way of using it isn't quite what she expected...

"It's done!"

After working for more than ten minutes, Samael snapped his fingers in satisfaction, drawing a rune that dried the moisture in the carriage.

Having lived a life of luxury and rarely done physical labor, Helen suddenly felt aches and pains in her back. Just as she was about to experience the fruits of her labor, someone led out a brand-new carriage and headed towards the open space ahead, leaving the high priest standing there bewildered in the wind.

Helen's lips twitched, and she subconsciously touched her cheek, feeling a strong sense of doubt about her title as the most beautiful woman in Greece.

Seeing the carriage ahead gradually disappear into the distance, the high priest had no choice but to lift the hem of her skirt and bury her head to catch up.

When they returned to the front of the stronghold, all the dozens of bandits in the open space had vanished without a trace.

With a rustling sound, led by Geguo, the women who had previously looked numb emerged from the woods, their faces now glowing with renewed vitality after washing themselves. They carried weapons such as daggers and short swords.

Helen glanced at the man in front of her, her sapphire-blue eyes thoughtful.

As for where the bandits went or where the women's weapons came from, don't ask questions you shouldn't ask.

She's just pampered and well protected; she's not stupid.

"I will take five of the seven chests of treasure and be responsible for delivering you to the nearest city-state. The rest you can divide among yourselves, whether you use them to make a living or to find your relatives. In short, once you arrive at your destination, you can figure out your own way."

Samael diligently played the role of a bounty hunter, raising his hand to collect his share of the reward into the magic circle, and then beckoning the women to enter another carriage.

Click...

However, just before setting off, the women's eyes glazed over, their expressions slightly bewildered. They turned to look at the woodshed in the corner from which faint sounds were coming, as if they had remembered something.

"Oh, by the way, we have another sister who was captured and is being punished inside for refusing to submit. Please take her with you!"

The ancient serpent, pleading with its hem tugged at, frowned slightly, drew its greatsword, and walked forward alone, casually slicing open the door lock.

boom!

The moment Samael stepped into the woodshed, a figure rushed forward, burying its head in the ancient snake's embrace, pleading with tears streaming down its face, displaying a vulnerability that evoked pity.

"Oh dear, I'm finally saved! Are you my savior? I'll do anything to serve you and repay your kindness!"

"what's your name?"

"Xiaoyu, our benefactor can call us Xiaoyu..."