"???"
Seeing their supreme commander flee to the rear without hesitation, abandoning them, the front-line Heroes instantly panicked.
Ares's body was too large at this time, so he ran very fast. With three strides, he had already left this battlefield, crossed the high mountain behind him, and after crossing the mountain, this War God also reined in his divine power, and his body rapidly shrunk to normal size, making him invisible to all the front-line Heroes.
As he fled, the warriors, who had lost the morale maintained by the War God's divine power, immediately became flustered. Facing nearly a hundred fierce Snake-Footed Giants in front of them, they had no idea what to do.
Retreat? Where to retreat? Ares only shouted to retreat, but he didn't tell the front-line Heroes where the retreat point was. It was obvious that this main god was upholding the essence of "collapse, retreat, sell, and slip away," escaping first himself. As for whether the warriors on the front line would survive, that was up to their own abilities.
Thus, after the War God disappeared, the entire front line instantly turned into a disorganized mess. Those with special abilities or skilled in Magician had desperately used their divine powers, abandoning their comrades to flee in all directions. Anyway, the lesser gods who had previously restrained them from retreating were almost all dead or wounded. And those warriors who had no special abilities and relied solely on brute force immediately threw away their armor and weapons, took to their heels, and desperately fled into the nearby forests, mountains, and caves.
Those who ran slowly were immediately caught by the Snake-Footed Giants and pounded into meat paste with their palms or torches. As for those who fortunately escaped, it was naturally impossible for them to return to the Olympus Gods faction. In the future, no matter who controlled the world, it would be fine; they did not want to face such terrifying monsters again.
On the battlefield of the rear army, without Ares in command and with the presence of the thirteen Giants among the Snake-Footed Giants, the speed of the rear army's collapse was even more astonishing. When the rear army first engaged in close combat with the Giants, three of the four lesser gods responsible for commanding this unit were instantly slain by Enceladus, the "Charging Trumpeter" among the thirteen Giants. The remaining Athena, seeing that things were going badly, immediately fled without looking back. The Giants didn't bother with this frantically fleeing "fly," and instead led the Giant Race warriors to continue their attack from here towards Ares's main force.
However, Ares, who had already made preparations, had now moved all his main forces to the pre-arranged evacuation point. The warriors directly under the War God formed several battle lines here, first allowing the logistics troops of Hephaestus and other gods to retreat into the valley behind.
In the valley, there was a cave leading to the Hell Gate of the Underworld. Hecate had also prepared a camp for Ares's troops at the entrance of the Hell Gate. Although living people could not enter the Underworld, the area in front of the Hell Gate, though also under the rule of the King of the Underworld, was a buffer zone between the Underworld and the real world. People who accidentally entered this place would not be attacked by Cerberus, the guardian dog of the Underworld, unless they tried to rashly enter the Hell Gate.
Not long after, Ares also arrived at the front line. He personally blocked the attacking Giants, sharing a great deal of pressure for his warriors and holding back a large number of Snake-Footed Giants.
Unlike the collapsing front and rear armies, Ares's faction, apart from the war beasts he raised, was basically composed of humans from the Sparta Kingdom. These human warriors fought bravely on the battlefield. After sacrificing their lives, those who wished would be brought back by Ares and join his divine army.
These warriors were well-trained and disciplined. Facing monsters like the Snake-Footed Giants, they were able to advance and retreat in an orderly manner under the leadership of their commander, engaging them without arrogance or impatience. After a fierce battle, Sparta's front line did not break. Instead, the Snake-Footed Giants, who had charged too aggressively, were seized upon by the Magicians within Sparta and several were sealed.
After resisting for nearly an hour, all the logistics troops under Hephaestus and other main gods had retreated into the cave in the valley, and the War God's troops also began to retreat under Ares's command, line by line, using the defensive lines as units.
Just as all the troops were about to leave, a huge cloud of dust suddenly rose on the battlefield. A Giant, even taller and stronger than the other Snake-Footed Giants, wielding two oddly shaped long blades, charged towards Ares.
Enceladus, the "Charging Trumpeter"!
"Ares, the War God!"
The eyes of one of the thirteen leaders of the Snake-Footed Giants gleamed with excited and cruel light. He brandished his long blades, even cutting down his own kin who stood in his way without hesitation. This Snake-Footed Giant ultimately did not heed the advice of Ephialtes, the outsider. After cutting through the rear army, he did not wait for his kin behind him, but instead rushed directly here without stopping, preparing to face Ares one-on-one and find an opportunity to directly kill this War God among the Olympus Gods.
Ares also noticed this Giant. He had actually long been prepared for Enceladus to disregard orders, so as he charged towards him, Ares had already set up his shield.
Boom!
Upon reaching Ares, Enceladus's pair of snake-feet retracted sharply, and his entire massive body actually leaped high into the air. He pierced into the clouds, then, using his own weight and the impact of his descent, crossed his two blades and slammed them onto Ares's shield.
Divine artifacts, also crafted by Hephaestus, collided. Crimson runes flashed on Enceladus's long blades, and then a huge cloud of fire exploded, transforming into a terrifying shockwave that leveled everything around the valley.
Under this terrifying pressure, even Ares couldn't help but lower his body, but at that moment, a subtle golden light suddenly flashed on his shield, slightly enhancing the power of his shield, allowing Ares to successfully withstand it.
Although he was only a clone here, this clone now represented his main body. If his clone could not safely retreat to the Underworld, it would disrupt his subsequent plans.
After withstanding Enceladus's reckless blow, Ares exerted a slight force, then thrust violently, causing the Snake-Foot Giant to stagger. In that instant, the Flame Sword in his other hand shot out like a venomous snake, moving from bottom to top, fiercely drawing a fiery sword mark.
"Aow ah!"
Enceladus suddenly let out a scream. Ares's sword had actually severed his left arm, and the arm holding the long blade spun around and plunged into the ground nearby.
Ares then took the opportunity to deliver a kick, sending Enceladus sprawling. Then, he quickly shrunk himself and, with his last remaining troops, retreated into the valley behind.