NOVEL WEB Chapter 239: 238
Julius let the air fill with the cheers of his men before turning to Haddin, who stood nearby with a faint smirk spread across his face.
"Well,"
Haddin said,
"if nothing else, you've got them believing that victory here is possible milord."
Julius dismounted from his horse, his expression grim but resolute.
"They'll need more than belief. Send word to the archers to take position on the eastern ridge. I want their bows nocked and ready. And double-check the traps along the northern slope. If the Greecians want this hill, we'll make them bleed for every step they take getting to the summit."
Haddin nodded and moved off to carry out the orders.
Julius turned back to the horizon, where the Greecian army was beginning to move.
Columns of men stretched out like the legs of a massive beast, banners snapping in the wind as their commanders directed the advance.
He took a deep breath, the weight of this battle weighing heavily on his shoulders.
One Hundred thousand.
The number echoed in his mind, a grim reminder of the impossible odds they faced, never even when he played the game had he faced such uncertain odds before.
But he had chosen this hill for a reason, and he would see his plan through to the end.
The storm had arrived.
Now it was time to weather it.
As the Legionnaires took up their places all the while watching as the Greecian horde approached.
Julius's mind went into overdrive, trying to come to terms and find some hidden secret way to save all his men, but the prospect was grim, they would certainly hold the hill for a few days but not without sacrifice and the thought of those he'd lose was taking a toll on his mind bit by bit.
But in the end he slapped his palms into his own cheeks and all the tension building up dissipated, there was no point stressing out now, doing so would just make him that much worse off for the fight to come.
But in his newly found relaxation as the beast approaches he found himself singing aloud, not really for anyone else to hear but more for himself, the song was a more edited version of one of the battle chants he'd heard through innumerable playthroughs.
Beneath the sun, beneath the sky,
The Greecian horde comes marching nigh.
A hundred thousand spears they bring,
But we are lions, and they will sting.
The hill will hold, the line will stand,
With Romanus steel and Romanus hand.
Though death may call, we'll not retreat,
For Romanus knows not the taste of defeat.
Stand, men of Romanus, stand tall and proud,
The gods shall hear our voices loud!
The tide will break upon this stone,
And Romanus shall claim the hill our own.
The hill will hold, our blades will sing,
And glory rise on eagle's wing!
As he continued to sing the legionnaires nearby turned their watch from the approaching force instead to gaze upon their exalted commander, here he was before the biggest fight of their life and cool as a cucumber he was singing without a care in the world.
They march with numbers, a fearsome sight,
But we are forged in the fires of fight.
The southern slope is sheer and steep,
A climb where only death will creep.
The northern face, we've turned to steel,
With traps and stakes, their fate is sealed.
For every man who dares this crest,
A Romanus sword will meet his chest.
As Julius continued to sing on, when he reached the break to repeat his chorus he found that the legion around him had already picked up on it and sang it right alongside him.
Stand, men of Rome, stand tall and proud,
The gods shall hear our voices loud!
The tide will break upon this stone,
And Rome shall claim the hill our own.
The hill will hold, our blades will sing,
And glory rise on eagle's wing!
Their voices rising up as the sound rolled down from up on high of the hill till even the unluckiest of souls standing ready on the front line could hear it.
Feeling bolstered by his men's joining in, Julius began to sing louder himself, even going so far as to use some of his gained points that he'd been saving up to acquire stronger martial skills to acquire a support skill and lucky for him he pulled just the right one on the first try.
As he continued to sing out, his voice alone carried on the wind as if we was singing through a megaphone, such that all his men could hear his song now, and even in the distance the incoming Greecians could catch pieces of it.
Let them come, wave after wave,
Let them march to an early grave.
For we are Romanus, unyielding stone,
Our names are carved in legends known.
The banners fly, the eagles soar,
We are the wrath of Mars in war!
Not feeling like being outdone by their commander the entire legion burst into raucous song as five thousand men now practically sang while shouting towards their own deaths.
Stand, men of Romanus, stand tall and proud,
The gods shall hear our voices loud!
The tide will break upon this stone,
And Romanus shall claim the hill our own.
The hill will hold, our blades will sing,
And glory rise on eagle's wing!
When morning breaks, when blood is spilled,
They'll rue the day they climbed this hill.
Their cries will echo, their banners fall,
Their great alliance will be their thrall.
For every spear and every blade,
Romanus will stand in the fight we've made.
And when the gods look down to see,
They'll know we bled for victory.
Stand, men of Romanus, stand tall and proud,
The gods shall hear our voices loud!
The tide will break upon this stone,
And Romanus shall claim the hill our own.
The hill will hold, our blades will sing,
And glory rise on eagle's wing!
With the enemy almost in range of their longest bows their time for song was coming to a close but even as his own voice quieted down his skill made sure that all could still hear even as the words were delivered softly to their ears.
Beneath the stars, beneath the sky,
The Greecian horde will break and die.
And though our blood may stain this ground,
The hill will hold—our glory found.
The din of silence now descended as the five thousand emboldened Romanus Legionnaires prepared to stand against the Greecian horde, and Julius standing at the top continued to look out but a look of pride was spreading across his face, as his own men's morale which not moments before was steadily dropping until it'd reached 60% had instead shot straight up to 100% showing his armies will to fight was completely alive and thanks to this the Greecians were about to be in for hell of a fight for their lives.