"ah!"
"ah!"
......
On the bloody battlefield, screams could be heard from time to time.
Of the three hundred Spartan warriors, only about two hundred and eighty remain.
They silently swept the battlefield in the moonlight, collecting usable weapons and armor from the bodies of their fallen comrades and Persian soldiers.
No one complained, no one shed tears.
They just completed their tasks mechanically. Of course, they would occasionally stop and listen to see if there were any new sounds coming from the distance.
Leonidas stood on a small hill, his red cloak soaked with blood.
There were several noticeable dents in his armor, marks left by the Persian cavalry's spears.
Despite being exhausted, he still scanned his surroundings vigilantly, not showing any sign of fatigue.
"My king."
An old soldier walked up the slope and handed him a simple water bag: "Drink some water."
Leonidas took the waterskin, took a sip, and handed it back. "How are the Spartans doing?"
The veteran's expression was slightly heavy. "Three more have died from their injuries. Now we only have 279 men left, 43 of whom have been severely wounded. They will be unable to continue participating in the rest of the battle."
"But they all said they wanted to die here with you."
Leonidas nodded, his expression not changing much.
He had anticipated such a loss.
Every soldier who died was a part of Sparta, and their departure weakened the strength and hope of the squad bit by bit.
"As the World Conference draws near, their offensive tomorrow will become even more intense."
"But our sacrifice can buy Greece a lot of time."
Just as they were talking, a burst of hurried footsteps came from a distance.
Several individual warriors emerged from the darkness, wearing Greek-style armor, but nothing like the Spartans' attire.
Obviously, they were federal soldiers from other Greek city-states who had previously been responsible for defending other trails.
They were covered in dust, ragged, and panting.
"King Leonidas!"
Seeing them approaching, the surrounding Spartan warriors became alert. They silently approached Leonidas and formed a protective circle.
Leonidas gestured for them to relax and then stepped forward.
The leading soldier knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his hands and gasping for breath.
"King Leonidas, you must lead your army out of Thermopylae immediately!"
Leonidas's eyebrows raised slightly. "What's wrong?"
The soldier who spoke raised his head, his face full of pain and anger.
"We've been betrayed! A local shepherd, familiar with all the paths in this area, revealed a secret passage to the Persians, allowing their army to bypass Thermopylae and attack us from the rear!"
"We have suffered heavy casualties, and Thermopylae will soon be surrounded by the Persians!"
As soon as these words were spoken, there was silence.
Leonidas was silent for a moment, then asked, "Is this happening today?"
Another Allied soldier stepped forward: "Yes! We saw Persians in the mountains!"
"They have now sent out at least 5,000 troops, advancing along a mountain road that almost no one knows about!"
"At their rate of progress, they'll be behind Thermopylae by tomorrow morning!"
Leonidas's expression remained unchanged.
Then, the federal soldiers pushed out a bruised Persian.
"We've captured a Persian scout! You can confront him face to face!"
The Persian was wearing ordinary soldier's clothes, but even though his hands were tied and he was kneeling on the ground, there was no fear on his face. He even smiled at Leonidas with contempt.
The Persian then raised his head and looked directly into Leonidas' eyes.
"Are you the King of Sparta?"
Leonidas heard this and nodded.
"Hmph, enjoy your last night, King of Sparta."
"When the sun rises, you and your three hundred warriors will find yourself surrounded by the invincible host of the King of Kings."
"Your end is near, King of Sparta."
"Even a warrior like you cannot stand against the invincible army of the King of Kings."
"Everything you do is in vain."
"We will soon capture your city-states and then all of Greece."
"All Greeks will become slaves of the King of Kings."
Leonidas stared at the man for a long time, his face still expressionless.
"Surrounded?"
"We Spartans are surrounded by danger from birth."
When the Persian heard Leonidas' words, he just spat blood on the ground.
"Pooh!"
"Spartans!"
"Foolish Spartans! How dare you refuse the gift of the God-King!"
"When the God-King surrounds you and tramples your flesh under his iron hoofs, the name 'Sparta' will disappear from the world forever..."
Before he finished speaking, a cold light flashed.
Leonidas's dagger had accurately pierced the Persian's throat.
The pair of eyes that were originally filled with contempt widened instantly, and blood foam spurted out of his mouth.
After a moment, his body fell to the ground without a sound.
He turned to face all the gathered Spartans.
The Spartans had unknowingly formed a semicircle around their king.
“Warriors!”
Leonidas raised his voice so that everyone could hear him.
"Our rear has been lost and our retreat has been cut off!"
"Persians, you will always remember the day we fought against you!"
"And the world will remember our battle tomorrow!"
"Three hundred Spartans were here, defending the land and glory of Greece!"
Then, the voices of the Spartan warriors were heard.
"Sparta!"
"For Sparta!"
"For Sparta!"
Leonidas nodded and looked at his warriors: "Tonight, let us rest well and accumulate strength!"
"Tomorrow will be our last battle!"
Then, a young warrior stepped forward.
"My king, it is the honor of my life to fight alongside you!"
"No matter what happens tomorrow, I will be proud to be a true Spartan!"
......
The soldiers lay on the ground and fell asleep.
In Leonidas' tent, he sat alone, polishing the dagger his father had left him.
This sword has drunk the blood of countless enemies, and tomorrow, it will fight for Sparta for the last time.
"Father, I will see you soon."
"You will surely be proud of what I have done today."
Finally, he put the dagger aside and looked towards the distant and dark direction where the city-state of Sparta was located.
"My Queen..."
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