Under the gloomy sky, the sunlight was blocked by clouds.
The battlefield, just flooded by a vast expanse of water, was desolate and bleak.
It hit the soldiers, who longed for wealth and victory, like a cold bucket of water over their heads.
Meanwhile, thousands of miles away from the Aigaleo Mountains on a perilous peak, the gods were also speechless.
The alliance was nearing, and a grand war was about to unfold.
Perhaps due to the rhythm of godhood, Ares had been particularly excited in recent days.
Especially since the Spartans, who formerly revered Apollo more than him, were also willing to obey the will of the gods, which improved his mood even further.
However, while he was loudly discussing his martial skills and explaining battle techniques to the goddesses, he never expected to witness such a scene.
There was no charge of battle formations, no clash of courage, no contest of martial prowess.
The Athenians simply used the force of the water to breach the camp, followed by a massacre.
The vanguard warriors of Mycenae had not even managed to see the faces of their enemies before they were cut open by the knights following the water.
Most of them, caught off-guard and unable to don their armor, became just another soul under the riders' lances.
It all happened too quickly, so quickly that Ares had no time to react.
So much so that he was still extolling courage and martial skills when someone told him that these are not always of use.
"...This is a despicable act, a shameless plot!"
"If the sides had formed up, even against the elite Athenian knights, we wouldn't have failed so easily!"
Grinding his teeth, even though Mycenae wasn't a city-state that worshipped Ares as the Principal God, the War God still appeared very angry.
It was against the rules and the aesthetics of war.
There should have been a duel between heroes from each side in front of their formations, and then the victory of one would boost their morale and lead the attack on the defeated.
Using the power of nature to win was morally corrupt!
"Cough cough, but they did do it."
"So Ares, what are you planning to do about it?"
Among the gods, a distinctive presence spoke.
Ares looked in the direction of the voice but saw only a face mask made of gold.
It was a chair floating in the air, surrounded by a hazy halo that obscured the view.
On it sat a robust, yet somewhat short figure.
That cripple again... Even though the mask hid the other's face, Ares couldn't hide his disgust.
If it weren't for his craftsmanship, what right did he have to stand here with him?
"Hmph—such shameless behavior should be condemned, everyone should denounce the actions of the Athenians!"
Gritting his teeth, Ares finally squeezed out these words.
And he knew that it was, in fact, just a platitude.
In classical times, no matter which civilization, which world, human wars were somewhat courteous.
Perhaps because there weren't many people in ancient times, or maybe because transportation was inconvenient, mere killing and occupying land didn't mean much.
Either in the West or the East, they had an era when 'courtesy' was observed on the battlefield.
Like not striking an injured knight, helping enemies fix their chariot if seen damaged during a pursuit then watching them continue before chasing again.
Or not attacking enemies crossing a river, not attacking an army that was not yet ready, and so on.
Of course, all this 'courtesy' was not permanent; often, it would be discarded as the eras progressed.
Just like 'an initial burst of activity followed by decline and exhaustion,' the original story was merely about someone who discarded 'ritual propriety' triumphing over those who observed it.
As the subsequent collapse of 'ritual,' it became a representation of cunning.
Today's people in Chaos are also living in such times.
Though there are so-called conventional rules amongst nations, not everyone observes them.
Similar behaviors are commonplace, and since Athens was already notoriously targeted, denouncing their actions was ineffectual.
"There's nothing to be done, what's the use of saying these things."
With a sneer, the god in the floating chair received an angry glare from Ares, but Hephaestus had no reaction.
Although he was present, that didn't mean he had any interest in attacking Athens.
It was only because Aphrodite had personally invited him tha