"But in reality, now is not a suitable time to launch an attack."
In the afternoon, fatiguing the troops with a long expedition, and besieging a city.
All these terms combined, each represents a typical negative buff.
If it were Seville himself, he would definitely choose to rest overnight and set up camp, instead of attacking rashly.
"Of course, given the huge gap between Athens and Eryxis, even if the opponent's commander acts inappropriately, I still don't think the city will hold."
"After all, you understand... in the face of absolute strength, skill is of little use."
The evaluation was very objective, and even though there was nothing particularly impressive, the priestess of the Heavenly Empress nodded in satisfaction.
She did not understand military affairs, nor did she care how much this person understood.
But she needed to ensure this person could make an objective judgment of the situation and then report it to the King of Ithaca.
As for the rest, it was of no concern to her.
The gods approved of the bravery and wisdom of the King of Ithaca and were willing to give him a chance.
And as a priestess of the gods, she did not need to question, only to comply.
"Indeed, no god is omnipotent, not even the great Heavenly Empress has ever claimed to be."
Her demeanor was calm. Though the deity she worshipped now regarded the other as an enemy, as Hera's godhood practitioner, the priestess still showed respect to Athena.
This is also a common occurrence amongst the gods— in the eyes of most gods, I can hate and curse another god, but that does not mean mortals can do the same.
Even if that mortal is disparaging a god I dislike, I would only crush the daring mortal after mocking them.
And as a godhood practitioner, this was particularly evident.
"So you're saying, Mr. Seville, that Athens indeed has strong inherent strength."
"But if they lack other means, then such a command style suggests a lack of experience, right?"
"Yes, that's quite normal."
"Especially since no one would have expected King Theseus to die so easily..."
Seville nodded in agreement.
For a king who was young, strong, and exceptionally skilled, often there was no need to cultivate military prowess in the next generation.
Even if necessary, it was to train an heir.
Unfortunately, Demophon had already been sent away from Eryxis.
He would appear in the Alliance as a recognized 'representative of Athens' within the Anti-Athens Alliance.
"If that's the case, then that's much better..."
With a slight smile, the priestess of Hera felt the news was quite agreeable.
However, in the next moment, the priestess, who appeared to be old and in reality was even older, suddenly faltered in her expression.
She pointed toward a direction in the distance and asked subconsciously, "And that?"
"Mr. Seville, what is that?"
Confused, though unsure of what she was referring to, Seville still looked in that direction.
In the distant land, he seemed to see three writhing shadows.
The shadows flickered, as if concealing something.
The next moment, as if sensing the gaze from afar, the three shadows stiffened and then abruptly rose.
"What kind of monster is that?!"
The view blurred, and then Seville saw their true forms.
They were not mere shadows, but three huge demons crouched on the ground.
They seemed dead, yet for some reason, they were now alive again.
Gradually, from stiffness to fluidity, they shook their bodies, looking towards this side of the city wall.
"Mr. Seville, do you recognize them?"
With a solemn face, the Female Priest said seriously, "Or rather, do you think this city is still safe?"
"If this were a real kingdom, I don't believe these monsters alone could change the outcome of the war."
Taking a deep breath, Seville also calmed down.
He cautiously assessed the situation, in fact, his best judgment for Eryxis was only to hold out for seven days.
"But now, they have undoubtedly accelerated this process."
"This city is already on the verge of collapsing."
"If that's the case, please stay close to me."
On the city walls, soldiers from both nations were engaged in close combat, with the sounds of killing ringing nearby.
However, the Female Priest ignored this, as she was not here to defend the city.
"Let's watch a little longer, if the respected Goddess of Agriculture does not plan to do something... I will take you away."
Three demons, although they seemed large, actually didn't amount to much.
This is a typical grass-cutting tool, merely a prop for renown in the eyes of any slightly powerful person.
As the last Crystal Stone was placed into the body of the third giant beast, Solomon breathed a sigh of relief.
Having followed Hermes for so long, he had a rough idea of what his teacher was doing.
Although he wasn't very clear about the final goal, he understood the process.
Hermes wanted these Crystal Stones to 'come to life,' but not with their original consciousness.
He hoped what would come to life would be a group of tools that could be manipulated and deceived, and at least until he achieved his certain goal, these revived beings had to temporarily obey his commands.
Solomon didn't know what these Crystal Stones originally were or what Hermes intended to do with them.
He only knew that during the attempt to awaken these Crystal Stones, Hermes encountered various difficulties.
The most critical issue was that if the soul power transferred was too little, it could not accept the amalgamation with the pre-existing will.
If too much, it would be identified by the Crystal Stone's innate recognition as an enemy rather than something that could be assimilated and absorbed.
Left with no choice, Hermes had to make a final preparation, which was a Blood Sacrifice.
If the soul power was too little, unable to accept amalgamation, then let it maintain a state of 'losing some and then replenishing some' until it was successful.
Previously, due to a shallow understanding of souls, Hermes was unable to achieve this continuous supplementation of soul power.
But as he discovered the Blood Sacrifice of Nature Spirits and some deep connections between soul and body, this issue seemed to be temporarily alleviated.
"It seems the People of Eryxis think these are War Giant Beasts? Perhaps."
"Only these were inherently Sacrifices, merely maximized in the 'sacrificial' process as war weapons while simultaneously turning the lives they took into part of the Sacrifice."
Reaching out his hand, he pulled out a vial of silver liquid from somewhere.
Solomon dripped it into the bodies of the three giant beasts, then finally breathed a sigh of relief.
The Blood Sacrifice naturally also solved the problem, but consequently, if that bit of soul continuously received Blood Sacrifice during the assimilation process, it was very likely to be tainted with some undesirable natures.
Such as a love for flesh, or inherently cruel, and so on.
Thus to drive them, it was no longer possible to use ordinary methods, but rather one needed to attach a 'leash' beforehand.
Fortunately, the silver liquid in his hand was a form of this 'leash.'
It would become a part of the new consciousness during the process of the Blood Sacrifice.