Imperator: Resurrection of an Empire

With the trove of relics from the vault distributed among his elite soldiers, Julius felt the surge of power rippling through his ranks.

The armor, tempered steel, and strange artifacts of the ancient empire had a palpable effect on his legionnaires; it gave them a fierce pride, a sense of connection to the lost empire they now sought to restore under Romanus rule.

Word of the vault's treasures had spread quickly through the camp, and morale soared as the soldiers strapped on their newly acquired equipment.

Julius stood at the edge of the encampment, watching as his men tested their newfound weapons and armor.

The relics, sturdy and gleaming, seemed to amplify their confidence, and for good reason.

Each weapon forged in the prime of the Roman Empire was a masterpiece of craftsmanship and military ingenuity, increases those gifted with the items a boost to their martial prowess, and defensive might.

Now, these symbols of Rome's storied past would help him reclaim the lands that had once belonged to his ancestors—and carve out new dominions in his name.

"Commander,"

Yuri approached,

"The men are ready. They've been talking of little else but marching onward to Argosian lands. They believe these relics and your command make them invincible."

"Good,"

Julius replied with a nod.

"Let them believe that. Rome was once feared across these lands, and soon, we will remind the Argosians why. But we must move swiftly. They will be fortifying their defenses after our victory in Mylonas."

Yuri grinned, her eyes gleaming with battle-lust.

"If they're fortifying, they're already scared. We should strike hard, strike fast, and burn their confidence to ashes."

Julius smirked at Yuri's fervor but nodded in agreement.

"I want the men to remain sharp. The Argosians won't surrender their lands easily. These mountains, these cities—they know them well. It won't be any easy victory like Mylonas."

He turned to his assembled legionnaires, his voice rising above the clamor of the camp.

"Legionnaires of Rome! Today, we march again. Not as conquerors alone, but as the true heirs of Romanus's glory. The Argosians think they can still stand against us; let us prove them wrong. For every city they hide behind, for every phalanx they raise, we will be there, an unstoppable storm."

The men roared in response, the thundering cries of his legion reverberating across the hills.

Julius could feel their energy radiating toward him, their devotion as solid as iron.

There was no mistaking the sense of destiny that clung to his every word.

As they moved out, Julius and his legion took the mountain paths, maneuvering swiftly through rocky terrain and ancient trails that wound through Greecian landscapes.

Scouts reported signs of Argosian patrols, but they were swiftly dispatched by Julius's elite cavalry squads.

Word of his presence and the swift, merciless way his forces operated would reach the Argosian commanders soon enough, but not before they arrived at their target.

By the time they reached the outskirts of the next Argosian stronghold, the sun was already sinking beneath the horizon, casting a fiery glow over the landscape.

The city of Ephyra lay sprawled below them, protected by stone walls and several tiers of battlements.

Julius studied it from the high ridge, noting the torches flickering along the walls and the faint sound of a horn sounding the alarm within.

"They know we're here,"

Yuri said, as she scanned the city.

"Looks like they've prepared for us. Archers on the walls, phalanx lines probably waiting for us at the gates."

"Let them,"

Julius replied.

"They'll need more than walls to keep us out."

He raised his hand, signaling to his commanders.

During the break in the port city Julius had taken moment to call upon his system, seeing that the Kingdom of Romanus had advanced quite nicely even in his absence earning a good number of Tech points, that he could use to purchase upgrades for his armies.

Specifically siege tactics, such as how to build and use the ancient engines of war, limited as they might be in the beginning, but compared to the stuck in the past Greecians watching their mighty walls come crashing down would drive another nail in the alliances coffin.

The legion began to fan out, positioning themselves along the ridge, while the new artillery engineer crews set up their newly built siege weapons—catapults.

The heavy artillery ominously stood in the twilight, poised like coiled vipers ready to strike.

Julius turned to his engineers.

"I want those walls breached. The Argosians expect us to charge blindly, but we'll make them pay before our men even set foot in range of their archers."

Within minutes, the first volley of boulders and burning projectiles were launched, crashing against Ephyra's walls in a cascade of rock and fire.

The Argosian defenders shouted orders, their archers loosing arrows in reply, though they all fell short of their mark.

The legionaries watched with grim satisfaction as chunks of the city's walls crumbled beneath the relentless onslaught after hundreds of strikes against its surface.

As the bombardment continued, Julius turned to Yuri.

"Ready the assault. Once the breach is large enough, we'll send in the vanguard. I want a foothold inside those walls before dawn breaks."

Yuri nodded, grinning.

"We'll break them. They won't know what hit them."

Julius watched as the walls began to crack and splinter under the ceaseless barrage.

He could almost see the panic setting in among the Argosian defenders still stationed atop the walls, their confidence waning with each falling stone that came crashing against their once formidable walls.

When the breach finally opened—a gaping wound in the city's defenses—he raised his hand, and his vanguard surged forward with a battle cry, charging down the ridge and toward the broken walls.

The Argosians tried to hold the breach, forming their phalanxes with practiced precision, their shields locked together as they braced for impact.

But Julius's legionaries, armed with the relics of the Roman vault, struck with the fury of a tempest.

Their new swords cleaved through the long spears, and defending shields, their reinforced armor deflecting blows that would have caused injury to ordinary soldiers.

Julius led the charge himself, his own sword flashing in the firelight as he cut a bloody path through the Argosian ranks.

His movements were swift and lethal, each strike precise, a deadly dance honed by years of using the systems attack commands.

Around him, his men fought with the same ferocity, pushing the Argosians back, step by bloody step, as they carved their way into the city.

At the heart of the fray, Julius caught sight of an Argosian commander, rallying his men with a desperate cry.

The commander wore the insignia of a high-ranking officer, and his armor was polished to a sheen.

He locked eyes with Julius across the chaos, his face twisting with a mixture of fear and defiance.

"Romanus!"

he shouted, his voice barely audible over the clash of steel.

"This is our land! You have no place here!"

Julius smiled coldly, advancing toward him.

"The same could've been said for you lot in Sparta!"

With a final surge, Julius broke through the Argosian line, his sword flashing as he cut down the commander.

The Argosian forces wavered, their formation crumbling as they watched their leader fall.

Julius seized the moment, raising his sword high.

"Forward!"

he shouted.

"Take the city!"

The legionnaires pressed their advantage, pouring through the breach in an unstoppable wave.

The Argosians fell back, their discipline collapsing as panic set in.

Some tried to rally at the central square, while others fled deeper into the city, their spirits broken.

By dawn, Ephyra was under Romanus control as the last of the defenders finally surrendered to the assaulting army.

The few remaining Argosian had either surrendered or fled, and the city's citizens huddled in their homes, fearful of the conquering forces now patrolling their streets.

The captured wealth was substantial—armouries filled with weapons, storehouses brimming with grain and supplies, and, of course, prisoners, bound and taken behind the line to the legion's encampment at the port city to transport these new war captives to the homeland.

Julius surveyed the aftermath, his expression hard but satisfied.

The spoils of Ephyra would further fuel his campaign, providing supplies for his legion and wealth to secure the loyalty of his allies.

Yet even in victory, his mind remained focused on his ultimate goal.

Yuri approached, wiping the blood from her blade as she glanced around the conquered city.

"Another victory, another step closer to securing Greecia. The men are celebrating, but I can see the fire in their eyes. They're ready for more."

"They'll have it,"

Julius replied.

"The Argosians are on their last legs. Another strike, and we'll break them completely."

Yuri nodded, her gaze shifting to the distant mountains beyond the city.

"Word has it the Argosian senate is amassing what forces he has left at their capital. They know we're coming, and they're preparing for a final stand, sadly it won't be us who get to deliver that final blow, as the second legion and the mercenary auxiliary should be arriving from the north any day now."

"Good,"

Julius said, a determined gleam in his eyes.

"Let them gather. Let them fortify their walls and ready their defences. The legion will crush them in one swift blow, while we proceed east deeper into the peninsula and crossing to Thebsian lands."

As the sun rose over Ephyra, Julius stood at the heart of the conquered city, his thoughts already turning to the next battle.

The Argosians had fought bravely, but bravery alone would not save them from the relentless advance of the Romanus Kingdom.

With the strength of Rome's ancient relics and the unwavering loyalty of his legion, Julius knew that victory was within his grasp.

The road ahead would be bloody, but the prize was worth the cost.

Soon, all of Greecia would kneel before him, and the Romanus Kingdom would rise to a power not seen since the days of old, even if they choose not to take the lands, Romanus is already taking everything else of worth from the Greecians, mainly their peoples and things as the spoils of war returning them to the Romanus Kingdom where he could further develop his own nations infrastructure and prepare for future campaigns against the bordering nations, and of course, the eventual invasion attempt by the young Visigoth Emperor hell bent on securing his own Continent spanning empire.

With a final, steely glance at the horizon, Julius turned to his men.

"Prepare yourselves. The war is far from over. Our true conquest has only just begun."