Revive Rome: Wait! Why not make the empress fall in love with me first?
Chapter 152 - 56 Going into Battle

Chapter 152: Chapter 56 Going into Battle

"I can only count on you all now." These words carried the solemn feeling of departing for the final battle.

If it were a hot-blooded story, the protagonist would confidently thump his chest and say, "Leave it to us."

If it were a dark and tragic tale, then the protagonist might be lost in reflection, ending with the famous premonition, "When this war is over, I plan on going back home to get married."

However, Aske was neither the brainless protagonist of a hot-blooded story nor the abused character from an artistic writer’s creation.

Therefore, after Captain Quintus spoke those words, he simply uttered an indifferent "Oh."

Oh.

There was not a ripple in his heart.

Frankly speaking, for a professional gamer, the question of whether PvE or PvP presents more of a challenge is a relevant one.

It’s not that PvE isn’t challenging; it’s mostly because the intelligence of most NPCs is too low. Often, as soon as the opponent starts to raise an arm, Aske already knows how they are going to attack.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that the current main storyline is still in its early stages.

Since the Great Barbarian Invasion at the end of the Fourth Epoch, after which the West Solomon Empire perished, the world has been relatively peaceful for many years.

Although small-scale conflicts are common, the overall power of the nations has not changed much.

Even the division of the Frank Empire into three parts was due to the unfortunate decision by Emperor Louis I, son of Charlemagne, to divide the empire among his three sons, leading to the subsequent fragmentation of the empire.

Subsequently, the rise of the Solomon Church began to rule the continent on matters of faith, making it even harder to launch an all-out war. After all, we’re all bishops, brothers under the Church; who would you dare to attack? And with the Pope mediating, would you dare not to accept?

Thus, until Emperor Otto stood up against the Church, the peace that lasted nearly a hundred years meant that the overall strength of humanity at this time was not high, which made sense both logically and within the logic of the game world.

Moreover, this wasn’t a large chaotic battle with hundreds of people, but a small-scale battle between elite teams. Aske had great confidence in his Azure Longsword Team.

After all, it was a team he had personally trained.

"The Hot-Melt Sword output is okay." Hood began checking the girls’ equipment. "The Magic Copper Armor and Meteorite Armor have been repaired, with anti-piercing coatings added to the surface. They should all be fine."

"Aske, are you really going to have everyone participate in the battle?" he asked worriedly.

After all, he’d spent several days with Aske and the girls and had developed a friendship with them. If something unfortunate were to happen in the battle and someone... did not make it...

Honestly, he didn’t know if he would cry.

"Of course," Aske picked up his longsword, "we are professional mercenaries, after all."

"Don’t worry, Hood," Sigrdrifa said nonchalantly, "after the battle is over, I’ll bring you a head to play with."

"Who wants that kind of thing?!" Hood exclaimed immediately.

"Girls, let’s go," Aske pushed open the door, "Hood, you stay in the city. Don’t die."

"I’m sure I’ll live longer than you guys!" Hood reflexively retorted. "Wait a second, you’re not planning on taking my pulley machine gun, are you?"

"When you develop a hovering engine and turn this machine gun into a lightweight backpack, we’ll consider bringing it along," Aske replied.

The group took the military’s special elevator down.

"How is everyone feeling right now, nervous?" Aske casually asked.

The girls looked at each other; admitting nervousness felt shy, yet saying they weren’t nervous also seemed improper.

"What’s there to be nervous about." Mia replied, "It’s not our first time."

"That’s true," Aske laughed, "last time we were in a large-scale battle was when we were in Constantinople fighting against the Frank Knights. I still remember afterwards, absorbing so much extraordinary power that my spirituality was overflowing."

"How about this time? For those of you who just took the magic potion, have you digested the extraordinary power yet?"

"It’s digested," the newly promoted girls answered sporadically.

"Alright," Aske said, "The Azure Longsword, prepare for battle."

"The Azure Longsword to battle!" Sigrdrifa bellowed out, startling the other girls.

The elevator door opened, revealing the military fortress entrance to the city, where darkness loomed in the tunnel outside. Military personnel and mages were arranging defensive lines, while groups of mercenaries marched forth into the darkness.

Leaving the elevator to head outside, Peggy rubbed her ears, complaining:

"Sigrdrifa, your shout just now about deafened me; it’s still buzzing."

"Hehe, sorry, I just wanted to boost everyone’s courage," Sigrdrifa said, draping an arm around her shoulders.

Walking along the tunnel, the ground beneath their feet trembled intermittently, accompanied by the distant booming sounds that seeped through the rock layers, indicating that the Crusaders’ mortar bombardment had not ceased.

Apart from The Azure Longsword’s girls, there were also a few mercenary squads under Sparta’s command, who continued forward with unease.

The light grew brighter ahead, signaling they were nearing the exit.

Just before exiting the tunnel, Aske suddenly raised his palm and ordered, "Retreat!"

The girls immediately turned and ran without hesitation.

Beside them, the mercenaries were taken aback, with someone sneering:

"Hah, they turned into deserters before even facing the fight..."

Their words were cut short as a mortar shell landed right at the tunnel mouth. Shrapnel flew, nearly tearing these mercenaries to pieces, and the tunnel’s roof collapsed as well, burying the exit with a mass of rocks.

The girls turned back, hearts racing, thinking that if not for the Squad Leader’s warning and their swift action, they would have been blown apart by the mortar shell or buried under the collapsing tunnel.

"What do we do?" Eleanor lifted her long spear, pointing at the rubble ahead.

Looks like we are trapped.

"Thira, use gravity to clear the rocks," Aske commanded.

Thira acknowledged and activated the ability of "Meteor I," twisting gravity to focus straight ahead.

The landslide of rocks blocking the path began to tremble and loosen with a rumbling sound, quickly tumbling outside under the pull of gravity.

After watching intently for a while, Aske finally lifted his arm and waved forward:

"Advance!"

Stepping out of the tunnel, their view opened up dramatically.

They could see the once beautiful plains and town at the mountain’s base, now transformed into a wasteland strewn with smoke and battlegrounds.

Shells carrying white smoke and screeching noise flew towards the Olympia Tree at the mountain’s summit.

Atop the mountain, thunder and flames descended incessantly, a scene reminiscent of a divine punishment from an apocalyptic disaster.

The broken bodies of mercenaries littered the area, soaking the soil with wet, crimson redness, a somber yet spectacular "flower" that only blossomed on the battlefield.

Medea felt the Medusa within her stirring again, pleading to borrow her body; she quickly employed her mind power to subdue this disturbed personality.

"This is a serious battle; don’t sabotage the team’s original plan!" she said in her mind.

"It’s Aske’s plan, isn’t it?" Medusa replied sulkily, "For the sake of your lover, you even neglect your sisters within! Blinded by infatuation!"

"I’ll sacrifice more kills in your honor later," Medea said.

"If it’s not a slaughter, then it has to be at least a few thousand," Medusa demanded.

"A few thousand, do you think the Crusaders will just stand there for you to kill like chickens?" Medea couldn’t help but laugh and cry at the absurdity.

"With Aske’s ability, I think breaking a thousand is quite simple," Medusa claimed, "After all, he’s the man I’ve set my sights on."

"Alright, alright, stop talking; he’s noticed the change and is looking this way," Medea forced her inner turmoil to calm and looked up to meet Aske’s gaze, flashing a seductive smile.