Chapter 24 – Battle of Salamis

Stepping out of the barracks, I could see flames soaring into the sky.

The stacked firewood, like an altar, burned brightly, illuminating the dark sky with a red glow before dawn arrived.

I headed to the cremation site for Leonidas with Themistocles.

“Are you afraid that the enemy outnumbers us! The warriors who closed their eyes at Thermopylae also faced enemies far greater in number. Yet they did not flee; they perished there!”

Amidst the funeral dirge, the commander was in the middle of a speech to the soldiers gathered for the memorial service.

The commander of the united Greek navy was Eurybiades, the Spartan admiral.

Having lost the king and his royal guard, he was burning with fighting spirit.

“If we flee here, their deaths will be in vain! If we survive as cowards, would we not be ashamed before those who died first! Let us fight! We must stop the Persian bastards from rampaging any further in the Peloponnese peninsula!”

“Waaaaaah!”

The soldiers cheered at Eurybiades’s speech.

The heavy instrumental music in the background and the atmosphere created by the dawn flames were boosting the soldiers’ morale.

Watching him, Themistocles spoke to Lee Hanseong.

“This is a scene you created. Thanks to you bringing King Leonidas’s remains, persuading Eurybiades became much easier.”

“…I’m glad it was helpful.”

It had weighed on my mind that I had left my comrades behind and fled alone to survive.

Seeing this scene eased my heart a little.

“So don’t feel burdened; pull yourself together. I will lead this battle to victory.”

“No. I will join as well.”

I had no intention of staying in the rear and resting here.

Even to keep the Royal Guard Captain’s last words, I needed to see the Persians’ defeat with my own eyes.

“My ability will be of greater help in naval combat.”

“Your ability to convey voices.”

Just as I did by King Leonidas’s side, if I act as a communicator using Six Harmonies Communication by Themistocles’s side, more seamless command transmission between ships would be possible.

As if agreeing with that fact, Themistocles also nodded.

“Will your body be alright?”

“Even if combat is too much, conveying voices is well within my capacity.”

“If that is truly your wish, then so be it.”

“…Thank you!”

[You have acquired the first clue for Historical Alteration.]

[Witness Themistocles (Admiral Yi Sunsin)’s Rare Skill <Naval Battle Formation>.]

At that moment, a message surfaced.

Come to think of it, for some reason, the Constellation hadn’t shown any clues since arriving at this Branch Point.

Perhaps it was because the protagonist of this Historical Alteration should be not him, but Chungmugong.

The Constellation’s influence, which could intervene in Historical Alteration, was mostly being used to overlay Chungmugong onto Themistocles.

‘That means I cannot receive the Constellation’s help this time.’

There would be no assistance like observing futures from other Timelines or knowing clues in advance as in the previous Branch Point, but it didn’t particularly matter.

I already knew that the Battle of Salamis achieved a great victory in the original history.

The important thing was to create an achievement worthy of recording Pheidippides’s name within this victory.

‘The goal is Chungmugong’s Seven Star promotion. As a bonus, completing Pheidippides’s Four-star promotion?’

The method to achieve Seven Star promotion wasn’t difficult.

I just needed to activate my Awakening Skill Transcendence not on myself, but on Chungmugong.

The history created by him, already a Six-Star Spirit, in a Transcended state would be recorded as is, ensuring he remained at Seven Star even after Transcendence ended.

[You have acquired the second clue for Historical Alteration.]

[Activate Transcendence on Admiral Yi Sunsin.]

‘As expected. That was correct.’

Then, the final clue must be for completing Pheidippides’s promotion.

Considering the rules so far, the correct sequence was to Bloom a new skill based on Chungmugong’s Rare Skill <Naval Battle Formation> from the first clue.

And then, focusing on the abilities I possessed, centered around <Aerial View> and the newly acquired Formation-type skill, to sublimate them to a Fourth Awakening Skill through maximum synergy.

‘Certainly, adding the <Aerial View> skill would make operating formations more effective, but is that alone sufficient for a Fourth Awakening Skill…?’

However, even knowing it was lacking, no particular inspiration came to mind.

While pondering the third clue, dawn was breaking.

The dawn driving away the darkness seemed to foretell our victory.

* * *

The Persian army that passed through Thermopylae continued southward, and after destroying and plundering the surrounding cities, it had been over two weeks since they entered Athens.

Although Persia was catching its breath for city control and fleet repairs, Xerxes had no intention of stopping there.

There were opinions that they should wait for infighting among the poleis instead of attacking the Greek navy, but Xerxes, whose pride was wounded at Thermopylae, desired a decisive battle.

“If we want to conquer Greece within this year, we need an overwhelming victory.”

Thus, the Greek navy and the Persian fleet faced off for several days, during which a piece of intelligence reached Xerxes.

The intelligence stated that the Greek navy was planning to flee, escaping from Salamis.

Upon confirming the intelligence, Xerxes advanced the navy at first light to block the enemy’s retreat.

“Blockade the strait!”

That night, upon hearing news of Persia’s sortie, the Greek side, through Themistocles, sent a letter.

「Themistocles, the lowly general of Athens, realizing he cannot win against Persia’s overwhelming forces, wishes to surrender. Currently, the Greek commanders are engaged in infighting, and as a result, the Greek navies of the Peloponnese peninsula have even decided to withdraw independently. Therefore, if the Persian army blockades the strait, victory will be evident.」

“Hahaha! Even the enemy commander guarantees our victory; how can we remain idle?”

This was the news Xerxes had eagerly awaited.

As he had been waiting for infighting among the Greek forces, he did not suspect Themistocles’s letter at all.

He immediately advanced the fleet to blockade the strait.

“Sortie!”

That was yesterday.

However, contrary to the letter’s contents, the Greek navy was honing its fighting spirit and preparing for battle through the memorial service honoring King Leonidas and the warriors of Thermopylae.

And today, at first light, as the Persian navy began its attack, the Battle of Salamis commenced.

It was an attack carried out in a state of severe fatigue from maneuvering at night.

“The Persian fleet!”

The Persian fleet, seeing the Corinthian ships temporarily moving north as an opportunity, charged forward.

“It seems they are scared and trying to scatter. If we attack now, we can easily handle them.”

But as soon as the Persian fleet entered the strait, the Corinthian fleet immediately returned to its position and formed ranks.

In that state, the entire Greek navy slowly retreated backward.

Draw them deeper into the strait!

[Admiral Yi Sunsin’s <Legion Command> and <Naval Battle Formation> control the allies.]

[《Six Harmonies Communication》 resonates with <Legion Command>, applying 【One Heart One Body】 to the allies.]

With commands delivered in real-time via Six Harmonies Communication, the Greek navy retreated in an orderly fashion.

Meanwhile, the Persian fleet, densely packed due to the strait rapidly narrowing as they went inward, began colliding with each other.

A situation where numerical superiority became a hindrance instead.

Seeing the Persian fleet’s formation break and scatter, Themistocles launched a counter-offensive.

Now! All forces! Charge!

After giving the charge order, Themistocles muttered softly.

“I still have twelve ships left for the divine.”

[Chungmugong’s Rare Skill <Ghost Ship Sortie> summons turtle ships.]

[Chungmugong’s Fourth Awakening Skill 《”Golden Body, Now I Have Twelve Battle Ships”》 summons twelve ships.]

[The target does not match the historical background.]

[The ships’ material is adjusted to wood. Gunpowder weapons are prohibited.]

Chwak! Chwak! Chwak!

A semi-transparent, starlight fleet appeared at the forefront of the Greek fleet, leading the way, cutting through the waves.

Due to history’s own suppression force, all cannons had vanished, so they could only attack by ramming without <Bombardment Order>, but that alone was sufficient.

“The divine fleet fights with us!”

“Wooaaah!”

The appearance of the fantastical ships made of starlight boosted the Greek navy’s morale to its peak.

Kwang! Kugugugugugu!

The turtle ships colliding with the Persian fleet’s front lines tore through their formation as they advanced.

Then, the Greek fleet also began colliding with the Persian fleet.

The twelve ships summoned by “Golden Body, Now I Have Twelve Battle Ships” formed an exquisite formation, clearing paths for allied ships and blocking enemy movements.

‘Amazing!’

Lee Hanseong, watching the entire battlefield’s ships move organically through <Aerial View>, felt a wall blocking his mind suddenly break open.

An overwhelming tactic that even half of it couldn’t be understood with the tactical capability contained in the <Command> skill from Leonidas.

No, it was only vaguely understandable because of the Aerial View skill; otherwise, even watching from the side, he wouldn’t have absorbed even 10% of the formation.

[Rare Skill <???> reacts to Chungmugong’s <Naval Battle Formation>.]

The Blooming of the Formation skill was imminent.

Kwaddeudeuk! Kugugung!

At the front, rams clashed with rams, ships sank, and among those that didn’t sink, Greek and Persian forces crossed over to each other’s ships, engaging in hand-to-hand combat.

Do not act rashly; act calmly and heavily like Mount Tai!

Shalararara!

[Chungmugong’s Third Awakening Skill 《”Still as Water, Calm as a Mountain”》 grants overall Resistance to allies.]

Starlight that made it so one had to be hit two or three times to die from what would normally be a fatal blow from enemy spears and swords enveloped the entire Greek allied forces.

If you seek death, you shall live. If you seek life, you shall die.

Uuuuuung!

[Chungmugong’s Fifth Awakening Skill 《”Seek Death and Live, Seek Life and Die”》 establishes itself as a new Law of the battlefield.]

From this moment, the Law changed so that those prepared for death would not die.

A soldier who risked death to kill an enemy died and then revived.

Conversely, a soldier who fled to save his life was struck by a blind arrow, fell, and did not rise again.

The formation of a battlefield where only those prepared for death resurrected, even from the same death.

That was Chungmugong’s Fifth Awakening Skill.

The completion of an unbreakable formation.

The moment he saw it, the shape of the formation that had been itching in his mind finally revealed its outline.

[Conditions met. Rare Skill <???> Blooms into <Formation>.]

“Athena blesses us!”

“I offer this life to the divine!”

With the very manifestation of a Miracle, most of the Greek allied forces became fanatical Devotees with eyes turned, engaging in slaughter.

“That bastard, he definitely died… but came back to life!”

“Uwaaak! How do we defeat monsters like that!”

Meanwhile, the Persian forces were thrown into a crucible of fear and confusion, panicking helplessly.

Within history, no different from the return of myth, a new legend was being written.

“It’s about time to finish. I leave it to you. Pheidippides.”

Themistocles, confirming that Pheidippides had completed acquiring the Formation, gave the signal.

Understanding his intent, I activated Transcendence on him.

More precisely, on Chungmugong residing within Themistocles.

Paaaat!

[Six-Star Spirit Admiral Yi Sunsin is temporarily promoted to Seven Star.]

[First and Second Awakening Skills are embodied as Legendary Skills.]

[Vocation Awakening Skill 《”The Battle is Urgent, Do Not Speak of My Death”》 changes into a General Awakening Skill.]

From Seven-Star Spirits onward, upon promotion, instead of gaining new skills, two existing Awakening Skills are embodied as Legendary Skills each time.

Becoming an existence capable of producing its own starlight, it embodies Awakening Skills—which could only be used with the Constellation’s Blessing—into skills usable even without the Constellation’s Blessing.

As they are already complete, from Seven Star onward, the practice is to properly digest what one already possesses rather than adding something new.

“The battle is urgent; do not speak of my death.”

Chungmugong, having reached Seven Star, muttered softly.

Paaaat!

Then, the Sixth Awakening Skill “The Battle is Urgent, Do Not Speak of My Death” activated, and Chungmugong’s soul emerged from Themistocles’s body.

The Primal Spirit God of a High-Rank Spirit, capable of exerting physical force and influence on its own.

When it was a Vocation Awakening Skill, the limit was summoning a Primal Spirit God that would move in one’s stead until the battle ended even after death.

But now, having reached Seven Star, the Primal Spirit God changed to persist even after the battle ended, becoming the main body instead of the physical body.

Buuung!

Flying up into the void, focusing gazes indiscriminately on friend and foe, he recited a verse.

“With a three-foot sword, I swear to heaven, mountains and waters tremble; with a single swing, I sweep away, blood dyes the rivers and mountains.”

The two Awakening Skills that became Legendary Skills transformed into the forms of swords, gripped in Chungmugong’s hands.

A white Three-Foot Sword and a blood-red Three-Foot Sword.

The two Auras of red and white spread across the battlefield, empowering allies and absorbing the deaths of enemies, and then…

Puhahahahahak!!!!

With each swing of the two swords, blood-red dragons of blood shot forth, mercilessly sweeping through the Persian fleet.

It was the moment Chungmugong’s legend was added to a disparate history.

But Lee Hanseong, captivated by a realization that surfaced the moment he saw the Primal Spirit God, couldn’t pay any attention to that spectacle.

‘The Primal Spirit God is like a giant formation woven from starlight.’

What if I applied the Formation skill to the starlight within?

An Awakening Skill rivaling Transcendence might be born.

-Nyaa!

As if that thought was correct, a system message surfaced along with a cat’s cry.

[You have acquired the third clue for Historical Alteration.]

[Construct an inner formation imitating the Primal Spirit God.]

[The Constellation’s Blessing accompanies your path ahead, having acquired all clues.]

Seeing that, I became certain.

The pieces to complete Pheidippides’s Fourth Awakening Skill had fallen into place.