As the flames of war ignited on the front lines, a strange glow also emerged from the secret passage into the Pallene Peninsula that Ares and Hecate had opened up behind the battlefield.
Amidst the gradually changing colors, like an aurora, the scene over the spring pool shifted. Then, Ephialtes, along with a hundred Snake-Footed Giants, each as tall as Heracles, emerged one after another from the spring, standing in the forest beside it.
Thirteen leaders of the Snake-Footed Giants were also among them. "Strongman" Alcyoneus, carrying a greatsword covered in mysterious magic patterns that perfectly suited his size, came to Ephialtes and asked him:
"Strategist, what should we do next?"
Ephialtes looked at the directions, then pointed in a certain direction, and said to the Snake-Footed Giants:
"Going in this direction will lead you to the rear of Ares's army, where most of the Gods' Legion's logistical supplies and countless support personnel are stored. If you launch a surprise attack from here, Ares is bound to lose this battle!"
"Alright."
"Trumpeter" Enceladus smiled contentedly:
"Today, we shall use Ares's head to consecrate the path to our race's victory!"
Upon hearing this, Ephialtes immediately looked at Enceladus and reminded him:
"It's best not to take that goal too seriously."
"Why?" Enceladus asked with some dissatisfaction.
"On the battlefield, it's not so easy to take down Ares when he's amidst the chaos of battle. As the Lord of 'War', the power bonus his divine position and authority can grant him when he is on the battlefield is terrifying."
Ephialtes said:
"To put it more plainly, on the battlefield, you might very well lose to him in a one-on-one fight."
"How is that possible?"
Enceladus retorted, unconvinced:
"I'll just stand there, how many times can he kill me?"
"It's not a question of how many times he can kill you, but a question of distinguishing between primary and secondary objectives." Ephialtes glanced at "Strongman" Alcyoneus, then explained: "Our main goal for this trip is to use a 'lightning war' to encircle Olympus and capture the Gods' Hall while most of Olympus's forces are with Ares. Olympus is the Gods' stronghold; once it's broken, Ares will be an isolated force outside, and will eventually be annihilated by us. Moreover, if you insist on finding powerful opponents, there is also Athena and Zeus on Olympus. Both of these deities are powerful chief Gods no weaker than Ares, and Zeus, the God-King, even led the Gods to defeat the Titans. He will certainly satisfy you."
"Enceladus," Alcyoneus also commanded, "Listen to Ephialtes."
"Yes." Hearing his own leader say so, Enceladus could only reluctantly agree.
After stopping his impulsive compatriot, Alcyoneus looked up at the sky again and asked, "How much longer until the'Shrinking Potion' on us wears off?"
"Soon."
Ephialtes silently calculated the time, then replied:
"In at most half an hour, you will return to your original size."
"Very well."
Alcyoneus nodded, then loudly commanded the Snake-Footed Giants:
"Everyone listen to my command, prepare for battle! In half an hour, once we return to our original size, follow me to raid the rear camp of the Gods' army! We, the Snake-Footed Giants, are bound to win this battle!"
Upon hearing Alcyoneus's words, all the Snake-Footed Giants in the forest let out excited roars. Their roars and aura intertwined, immediately scaring away the animals inhabiting the forest.
...
Meanwhile, at the very front of the battlefield, Ares's vanguard had officially engaged with the hundred Snake-Footed Giants that had charged out of the Pallene Peninsula.
At the beginning of the battle, upon seeing the Snake-Footed Giants' height, which was almost identical to that of the Titans, the vanguard's morale had already plummeted by more than half. In their understanding, only Gods could typically deal with Giants as tall as mountains.
Many Magicians in the army disobeyed orders, releasing their prepared magic from dozens of miles away. These spells, once unleashed, transformed into streaks of light, magic projectiles, or high-temperature fireballs and lightning, striking the Snake-Footed Giants, but due to distance and rank, they couldn't even break the Giants' skin.
Upon seeing this scene, the Magicians in the army fell into disarray. Those who had learned teleportation magic used it to escape, while other Magicians who couldn't teleport also displayed their various abilities: some used magic to grow wings and transform into wyverns or birds, others burrowed underground, trying to escape through the power of the earth veins. For a time, the vanguard was filled with blossoming magical light, and even before the Snake-Footed Giants attacked, the vanguard had already suffered a large number of casualties.
Seeing this, the two minor Gods supervising the battle from the sky also let out angry shouts. One of them glowed brightly, his divine power forming a net that completely sealed off the space here. At the same time, he drew his longbow and shot an arrow, which accurately struck a Magician flying in the sky, killing this monstrous Magician in mid-air.
"Those who desert in battle shall be killed without mercy!"
The two minor deities flew in the air, issuing their commands to the warriors below and the Magicians who hadn't managed to escape.
Of course, they spoke tough, but in reality, they were just calculating that at a critical moment, they could use these cannon fodder as a means to buy time so they could escape first.
Just as chaos erupted within the vanguard, the Snake-Footed Giants also launched a charge. Their thick, massive legs snaked and crawled towards them. Although their movements were distorted, their speed was terrifyingly fast; a distance of several miles was but a blink of an eye to them. And as these Giants moved, huge clouds of dust rose, forming patches of yellowish-brown haze.
"Magicians, archers, prepare for the second wave of attack!"
Seeing the Snake-Footed Giants approaching, the two Gods in the sky quickly commanded again.
Under their orders, the remaining Magicians also gave up on the idea of deserting and began preparing the second wave of magic. Shortly after, various colored magical lights, mixed with a sky full of arrows, javelins, and stones thrown by smaller Giants, rained down on the Snake-Footed Giants.
Within effective attack range, these attacks finally had an effect on the Snake-Footed Giants. Arrows and javelins densely pierced the Giants' bodies, and stones and magic struck them, making them grimace. Evidently, these Giants' defensive capabilities were not as terrifying as the Titans, whose entire bodies were composed of elements.
"There's a chance!"
Seeing this situation, the vanguard rejoiced, but before their joy could last, they saw these Giants shake their bodies, shedding the arrows and javelins. Their wounds then healed at a speed imperceptible to the naked eye, and the smiles on the faces of the two minor Gods also froze.
"You little brats, you don't even know how to throw stones, let me teach you how!"
One of the Snake-Footed Giants grinned broadly, then violently hurled the stone he held in his hand, which was like a small mountain.
The mountain-sized stone whistled through the air, covering several miles, then slammed into the army. Instantly—
As if a meteorite had fallen from the sky to the earth, the vanguard shook, men and horses were thrown about, and wherever the giant stone grazed, regardless of race, everything turned into an unrecognizable bloody pulp.
The giant stone, using its impact force, slid directly from the very front of the vanguard to the very back. From above, it looked as if a perfectly neat shape had suddenly been erased from the middle by an eraser, leaving only a red trace remaining on the earth.