The next morning, outside Athens, the Aegean Sea, which had been calm, suddenly became turbulent. The sun was obscured by dark clouds, and thunder and heavy rain fell from the sky, blocking the view from the Athenians' watchtowers.
Amidst this storm, countless large ships, filled with Atlanteans, approached the coast of Athens, concealed by Poseidon.
By the time the Athenians saw these terrifying ships approaching, they were already less than a few miles from Athens' coastline.
The Athenian responsible for guarding the watchtower was startled and quickly tried to light a smoke signal to notify his companions in the city, but the heavy rain had drenched all the prepared wood, making it impossible to ignite.
In this critical moment, the Athenian could only raise his horn and blow it with all his might, hoping the warriors in the city would hear the sound.
But at that very moment, the storm in the sky grew louder, and the terrifying tempest immediately drowned out the sound of the horn.
The Athenian's forehead was sweating with anxiety. He watched as countless small boats, full of warriors, disembarked from the Atlanteans' large ships and rowed towards the beach, preparing to land, yet Athens still appeared completely unprepared.
However, just then, as if having seen through Poseidon's trick, the statue of Athena in the Parthenon, the tallest building in Athens, suddenly raised her aegis.
Her shield glowed brightly, illuminating the entire coast like a searchlight, exposing the Atlanteans' fleet and leaving them nowhere to hide.
"Atlanteans?"
"When did they arrive? They're already this close?"
"Quick! Notify everyone, take up arms!"
Under the goddess's manifestation, the warriors in Athens finally saw the Atlanteans who had already reached the edge. They quickly blew their horns, picked up weapons purchased from Sparta, and went to the hastily built, crude city wall, ready for battle.
Although these Athenians were all slaves who had escaped from their slave owners, they had never experienced taking up arms to resist foreign enemies. As mentioned before, warfare in the Greek World was a citizen's right; slaves were not allowed on the battlefield. The fact that they gained their freedom was mostly due to Athena's manifestation, making the slave owners "give her face."
Therefore, these Athenians were on their first campaign, and seeing the Atlanteans' splendid army, they felt some fear.
However, despite their fear, there was a group of fearless people present. After seeing the Atlanteans' assault boats storm onto the beach, the Athenian leader, following Athena's instructions, winked at the Spartans' commander. The Spartans' commander, upon receiving this command, which was almost suicidal for the Spartans, showed no fear. He merely nodded calmly, then turned and walked outside the city, making his way into a forest on higher ground near the beach outside the city.
Soon, the Atlanteans' vanguard completed their landing operation on Athens' beach. This group of warriors, totaling about five hundred, were all clad in magnificent armor and wielded trident-like weapons similar to those of a Sea King. They were also equipped with shields and fighting swords, appearing to possess significantly greater combat power than the Athenians.
But just as they landed and before they could even fully form ranks, they heard a sudden shout from the forest above them:
"For—Sparta!"
Accompanying a powerful shout from a man, the Atlanteans' vanguard looked up and were astonished to see a group of muscular men, wearing Spartan helmets and red cloaks, holding spears and round shields, leap directly from a height of nearly eight meters vertically above the beach.
They landed like meteors, and the moment they touched down, they had already stabbed to death the unfortunate Atlantean caught beneath their feet. Then, these Spartans pulled their spears from the bodies of their enemies and charged directly into the surrounding enemy forces, fearlessly.
Their strength was astonishing. During combat, deep red magic patterns would appear on their bodies, with magical light flowing within them, turning into a blood-red aura that entwined around their weapons and shields.
Moreover, these Spartans did not fear pain or blows. Their roars could unleash visible spherical sound waves, and their kicks could even shatter the breastbone of an armored Atlantean.
Although this group of Spartans numbered only one hundred and fifty, in front of them, the Atlanteans' vanguard, with more than three times their numerical advantage, was instantly routed, throwing away their armor and disintegrating.
As the Spartans slaughtered their enemies, their god, Ares, the master of War, also appeared on the cliff outside Athens. He thrust his spear into the center of the battlefield and then looked down at the Spartans bravely fighting, grinning happily and cheering repeatedly:
"Excellent! Truly my Ares's people! That's it, kill your enemies! Let everyone tremble at your valor! For I shall be with you!"
"Ha!"
Hearing Ares's encouragement, the Spartans' morale surged. They let out terrifying shouts and fought even more ferociously. Some even broke their well-crafted spears and short swords, then threw their shields directly and began to perform "hand-tearing Atlanteans" for the Athenians on the battlefield.
After a chaotic battle, the Atlanteans' vanguard completely retreated. The Atlantean royal commander who had led them was directly beheaded by the Spartans' officer. The Spartans' commander impaled the head with his spear, held it high, and then roared at the main Atlantean force:
"Sparta will win!"
"Sparta will win!"
The Spartans, who were in fierce combat, quickly dealt with their opponents, then raised their weapons and shouted along with their commander.
Seeing these seemingly splendid and invincible Atlanteans being slaughtered like dogs in front of the Spartans, the Athenians watching from the city wall gradually developed the idea that "the Atlanteans are nothing special."
They showed eager expressions, looking at their leader, their eyes filled with anticipation and desire for military merit.
And this was precisely the effect Athena wanted to achieve: to eliminate the fear of combat from the hearts of these Athenians who had never been on a battlefield, so that the Athenians could truly stand up and no longer have to rely on people from other city-states.
So, upon seeing her objective achieved, Athena also conveyed her command to her devout leader. Upon receiving the goddess's approval, the Athenians' leader waved his hand and said to his warriors:
"Go."
Thus, the city gates opened, and a group of Athenians, cheering with weapons, rushed out like bandits, running to kill the retreating Atlanteans, wanting to snatch the Spartans' kills.
Upon seeing the Athenians sally forth, the Spartans' commander also relayed orders to all the Spartans. Upon hearing their commander's orders, these Spartans all put away their weapons and watched indifferently as a group of Athenians ran past them, attacking the Atlanteans who were trying to push their assault boats back into the sea from the beach.
Meanwhile, Ares sat on the cliff, watching these Athenians, slapping his thigh, and laughing uncontrollably:
"Haha, Athena, look, your people look like a pack of wild dogs!"