By noon, Adam and his cadre were buried in the basement, diligently studying, honing their abilities.
Above ground, a strange army marched through the mountains surrounding Athens and poured into the city.
They were unlike any other force that had entered before—no parade, no cheers. Athens had no time to welcome them.
This was an odd army indeed. Their armor was uniform in style, but impossible to standardize in size.
There were giants towering five meters tall, elves with quivering pointed ears, dwarves wielding massive axes, various beastfolk baring fangs, and, of course, heavily armored knights armed to the teeth.
At the city's edge, they spread out rapidly, blocking every exit. Elves nocked arrows to demand that fleeing citizens return home.
Athens was a city of vice, yes—but also of civilization. Democracy was planted deep in the hearts of its people. No one would yield to such intimidation.
Yet in the next moment, the seemingly delicate elves unleashed a storm of arrows…
Only then did the proud citizens understand who they were facing: the infamous Spartan Legion—Athens' strongest, most feared, and most unpredictable force. They consumed Greek resources freely, yet answered to no decree of the Senate.
"Listen carefully! From this day forward, Athens falls under the Spartan Legion! Anyone who dares resist—be they commoners or arch-senators—will be wiped from this world!"
The voice came from a cheetah-man mounted on a towering steed, and it echoed through half of Athens.
Beside him rode a knight clad in black full-plate armor, helmeted and masked, emanating an icy aura. Behind him followed a silver-armored, masked female knight.
The black-armored knight nudged his horse forward, leading the army down the streets. Citizens, trembling in fear, dropped to their knees.
"Who is that?" a burly man whispered to his neighbor.
"That's Robert D. Seibel, commander of the Spartan Legion…"
"The Seibel family…" The man clamped a hand over his mouth, eyes wide with horror.
The name alone was enough to terrify any Athenian. Even the arch-senators dared not meet the gaze hidden behind that dark helmet.
As he passed, there was no riot, no fleeing. Even breaths seemed hushed. People either bowed their heads in fear or peeked from behind shutters. Never had Athens been so silent.
He walked down the long avenue to the grand Greek Senate building.
Gazing at the crest atop the Senate, Robert reined in his steed. A massive minotaur lay prostrate at his feet. Without a glance, he stepped down, one boot pressing the minotaur's back, flipping his horsewhip to a waiting elf.
He turned to the two half-naked warrior statues flanking the entrance. "These," he said, his voice low and hoarse, "I do not like."
With a gesture from the cheetah-man, several minotaurs and dwarves smashed the three-meter-tall statues into fragments. Not a single Senate guard dared intervene.
Citizens watched Robert without blinking. The Senate elders, peering from the windows, did the same. Even the Senate guards' eyes remained fixed on him.
Every gaze in Athens centered on him, and yet he moved as if performing a solo act on stage—slowly, deliberately, stepping onto the wide white staircase, eyes unwavering, untouched by the grandeur around him.
He was proud. He relished the fear emanating from all directions, letting it seep into him. He wanted everyone to hold their breath in his presence.
Robert entered the Senate's circular chamber. Tiered seats rose around him, all seventy-two elders already in place.
Silence dominated the hall.
"Commander Robert, your seat…" an attendant stammered, reaching out to guide him. But Robert ignored him entirely, walking past as if he didn't exist. The attendant staggered back, gasping under the weight of Robert's icy presence, and fell to his knees.
Robert didn't go to the prepared seat. Instead, he walked to the very center of the chamber—the place meant for outsiders to plead before the elders.
Those lowly outsiders usually shouted to force the elders' decisions.
"From today onward… Athens answers to me. Any objections?" His low, hoarse voice echoed through the chamber. Normally, no one would hear it over the endless bickering—but now every corner fell silent. He did not raise his voice; he didn't need to. Standing at the lowest point, he forced all of Greece itself to bow to him.
After a long silence, one elder cleared his throat, trembling: "You… fired arrows at the citizens—some were nobles, correct?"
"Yes. To control the situation—isn't that why you summoned me? Now that the order is given, the remaining decisions are mine. Any action that could drag Greece into the abyss will be punished severely, including anyone present here."
No one dared speak. Before Robert's arrival, the elders had debated punishing him for his brutality. Now, none could open their mouths.
High above, Kerry clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles turned white.
The situation was far worse than rumors suggested—he hadn't even grasped a fraction of what was unfolding. To stabilize Athens, the Senate would pay a heavy price.
Robert's hoarse voice cut through the chamber once more:"If there is nothing further, I shall take my leave. Return to your residences—outside is dangerous. Do not move without my permission."