Chapter 9: War I
Peloponnesus...
Several thousands of Athenian soldiers were gathered into the large island, ready for battle. They were dressed in leather armor, holding unto swords and spears, as they stood in neatly arranged rows.
Before them was King Cleomenes in a golden armor and blue cape sitting on a white horse with a long sword in hand.
Suddenly they saw a huge ship sailing towards the shores, with several hundreds of able bodied men clad in armor.
In their lead was Kratos, the Spartan general, King Creon of Thebes and multiple generals.
When they got to shore, they anchored the ship and descended unto the island, and arranged themselves neatly, with Kratos and King Creon at the very forefront.
Meanwhile, Astylos was standing a few meters behind Kratos, holding unto his hammer on his shoulder, with an impatient look on his face.
"How nice is it to see two of my mortal enemies all gathered together one last time. Surely, this reunion of ours brings warmth to my heart." Suddenly, King Cleomenes descended from his horse and took a few steps forward, sizing the Spartan and Thebian army.
"Although I must say, I am completely appalled you thought you could defeat the might of Athens with these barbaric men." King Cleomenes added, meanwhile, Kratos already had his hands on his blades, and King Creon had already drawn his sword.
"Archers!!!!" Immediately as if they already knew each other's moves, Kratos and King Cleomenes roared, as a battalion of soldiers from each side marched forward, and drew their bows ready to fire.
"Fire!!!" With commands from both sides, several thousands of arrows rained down on both sides as the other soldiers shielded themselves from the onslaught.
Kratos immediately shielded himself, before he turned around and nodded at Astylos.
Smiling, Astylos took a step forward, the metal arrows bouncing off his body, some shattering on contact, as if his body was carved from steel.
"Aaarghhh!" With a loud cry, a seemingly endless ferocious greenish energy beam burst out of his body reaching into the sky like a cyclone, raising strong winds over the battlefield.
"By the Gods!" King Creon and Cleomenes both roared out at the same time as they saw the display of power right before their eyes.
Grinning murderously, Astylos grabbed his hammer, his body covered in a film of the green ferocious energy, as he leapt into the sky with a single leap, causing a large crater.
Reaching the Athenian soldiers' side, he descended with a his hammer raised above his head, before smashing it into the ground with full force.
*BOOM!*
A massive energy and shockwave erupted, as if the piece of land had been nuked multiples times over and over.
The ground quakes and split as the huge winds billowed. In one attack, about half of the Athenian army had been destroyed, as the soldiers of Sparta cheered and rushed forward.
"This was your plan all along wasn't it, Kratos." King Creon looked at Kratos and smiled, before he drew his sword and rushed into the battlefield.
Kratos raised his head, and saw Astylos dismantling the Athenian soldiers with every swing of his hammer, before he nodded, grabbed his dual blades and jumped into the fray.
Astylos on the battlefield was like a caged dragon that had been set free after years of imprisonment. He was ferocious and immensely strong, with every swing of his hammer, blasting the Athenian soldiers into bloody mists.
Grinding madly, he took large strides, and walked towards the multitudes of Athenian soldiers. "Clang!" Suddenly, one brave soldier rushed forward and slashed his sword unto Astylos' chest which broke upon contact.
Immediately, he grabbed the man by the jaw, lifted him slowly and crushed his jaw with a clench of his hand.
The soldier had terror plastered all over his face and died with grievance in his heart. Meanwhile, King Cleomenes and Kratos were engaged in a heated battle.
Kratos was unparalleled with his dual blades, but the Athenian King was no slouch either.
In fact, he was immensely strong, being able to match Kratos pound for pound. They rapidly exchanged blows, slashing bobbing and weaving like around each other's attacks like the experienced martial artists they were.
The next moment, Kratos caught an opening, and smashed his fist forward, delivering a nasty hook to the jaw of the king which hurled him a few meters back.
Capitalizing, Kratos rushed forward and slashed swung his blade towards the king's neck, however he reacted and blocked with his sword, as they glared into each other's souls in stalemate.
"That boy! What is he? A spawn of Ares?!" King Cleomenes asked while gritting his teeth. "Today, Athens will fall! Kratos replied while pushing him back.
"I see. So that is your big trump card?" King Cleomenes stabilized himself a few meters away and said with a scowl. "You have underestimated me Kratos, and you have underestimated the Goddess Athena." Cleomenes spoke in rage and stabbed his sword into the ground forcefully, before grabbing a small seal round golden seal hidden within his armor.
"You recognize this? Kratos?" Seeing the object in the hands of Cleomenes, Kratos' expression switched instantly, as he turned around immediately and roared out.
"Fall back!!!" The moment, the men of Sparta and Thebes heard the voice of their commander, they began to rush back to their ship.
"You want to fall back now? It's too late!" King Cleomenes spoke with a crazed smile on his face, before he tapped on a round symbol on the middle, and immediately his body exploded into a bloody mist, followed by several Athenian soldiers.
Soon the bloody mists began to gather towards the round seal and began to diffuse into the seal.
The next moment, a bright light exploded, sending a large energy wave rippling across the island. The men of Sparta who were not able to get back to their ship in time were immediately turned into piles of ashes, by the brilliant light.
Kratos grabbed two shields and placed them before his body, as the light wave smashed into them.
*ARRGHH!*
Astylos reacted quickly. He rushed towards King Creon and shielded the king with his own body, as the energy wave smashed into his body burning the entirety of his back as he roared out in pain.
The next moment, in King Cleomenes' former position stood an otherworldly beautiful figure dressed in golden battle robes with a single sword in hand. Her long dark hair was tied flowed behind her back, and she embodied beauty, grace and untainted divinity.
"Uggh." The next second, a groan was heard, as Kratos slowly staggered to his feet. His burnt arms were healing, albeit at a very slowly pace.
The next moment, Astylos slowly stood up and wiped the blood from his lips, as tendrils it green energy burrowed into his back and healed his wounds. King Creon also stood up slowly, and soon the three men glared at the enemy before them with grim expressions.
"We meet again. General of Sparta." The ethereal beauty opened her mouth and spoke, as Kratos and Astylos frowned.
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