Night engraved this form of himself deeply into his memory, until finally, the illusory flames in his eyes subsided and gradually extinguished.
That feeling of being omnipotent had also vanished.
When he retraced his steps alone, he saw the land he had ravaged.
It looked like a field swept by storms, lightning, and flames, everywhere were severed limbs, entrails, and trenches formed as if by gas explosions.
This didn't seem like something a human could create.
Instead, it resembled the power of the hypothetical enemies he had imagined earlier—those giant monsters.
The scene before him left even Night, who had now regained his senses, in shock.
He knew his own strength well.
Excluding his immortal body, in terms of pure physical combat power, he was far stronger than an ordinary person.
He could single-handedly form an army…
Given enough time and stamina, he could annihilate an entire Roman army composed of thousands.
If it was just a formation of about four hundred soldiers, he could fight nonstop until the very end.
But the apocalyptic scene before him was on par with what he had seen on the battlefield from true top-tier heroes like Achilles.
The same strength, just with an additional state, allowed him to unleash such terrifying power!?
Damn it—!
I must learn how to activate this state.
However, the moment he stopped, Night could feel the muscle soreness and fatigue spreading throughout his body.
It seemed that activating this combat mode placed a heavy burden on his body, but compared to the destructive benefits it brought, this load was completely worth it.
When he finally returned to the Roman camp, he discovered that the leader of the Spanish rebels had already submitted a formal surrender.
After all, Lista Night, in the final battle, had completely shattered the morale of the Spanish rebels, who had never in their lives encountered such a human-shaped natural disaster.
Their fighting spirit and courage had been utterly crushed.
No matter what, they never wanted to face such a monster on the battlefield again.
When Scipio heard that Night had returned, he immediately invited him to participate in the surrender ceremony of the Spanish rebels.
At this moment, the envoy sent by the Spanish rebels was presenting their surrender terms.
They demanded that after surrendering, Rome should not enslave them and, ideally, grant them Roman citizenship.
If this simple request could be agreed upon, they would not only surrender unconditionally but also offer a substantial amount of wealth.
As he spoke, the envoy ordered his men to bring in several chests of gold.
Scipio, sitting at the head of the table, was somewhat tempted when he saw the chests of gold.
After all, Rome was in desperate need of money—!
Especially after implementing Tiberius' policies, the financial situation had become even more strained.
He knew the difficulties his brother-in-law had been facing recently…
And just as Night arrived, Scipio, who had grown familiar with him during their time in the military, immediately asked him if they should accept the rebels' request.
After all, no matter how desperate they were, he could not agree to a condition without asking the man, who brought it all.
So, he was still hesitating.
But Night firmly gave him an answer: "Of course not. As the defeated, they have no right to Roman citizenship.
It seems our enemies have not yet recognized their position…"
What a joke—!
If gaining Roman citizenship (a green card) were that easy, how would it be any different from Gaius Gracchus' absurd proposal to grant citizenship to everyone?
Even Night, who had always advocated for Roman reforms, knew that you couldn't become fat in one bite.
Even if the goal was to reduce class disparities, completely eliminating class distinctions was impossible.
In any era, classes exist.
Where there are class divisions, there is oppression.
This oppression cannot be completely avoided; we can only strive for superficial equality.
If the defeated were granted Roman citizenship, what would the allies think?
If the allies also demanded Roman citizenship, what would the nobles of the allied states think?
What would the native Roman citizens, whose benefits and privileges were being diluted, think?
This precedent must never be set, Night simply whispered a few words into Scipio's ear, and Scipio's expression immediately hardened, his heart filled with fear and dread.
After all, he had almost destroyed his beloved Rome for the sake of a little profit.
After that, Scipio outright rejected the envoy in front of Night.
The envoy, who had been closely watching the situation, noticed that Scipio had hesitated earlier but had firmly rejected their proposal only after Night's arrival.
The envoy recognized Night—the terrifying devil now stood right in front of him, causing the envoy to tremble in fear, not daring to breathe too loudly.
But remembering the orders and threats from his leader, if he failed in these negotiations, he would face dire consequences upon his return.
With this in mind, the envoy mustered his courage and said in a trembling voice, "Our request is not unreasonable, sir. Please think carefully before answering.
Although we have suffered a temporary setback on the battlefield, we still have hundreds of thousands of troops.
If the fighting continues, even if we ultimately lose, Rome will not emerge unscathed.
We did not come here with the intention of mutual destruction…
If you can subdue a large army without bloodshed, it would be a tremendous achievement for Rome.
Your Senate would surely reward you generously."
....
The envoy spoke with forced confidence, half-threatening, half-enticing.
But little did he know, his words only made Scipio's expression grow stranger and stranger.
In the end, Scipio thought to himself—
Has this guy not heard about the current state of the Roman Senate?
'The man standing beside me doesn't need the Senate's recognition.'
If anything, the Senate should be thanking their lucky stars that he hasn't turned around and given them a taste of their own medicine (like a good slap in the face).
At this moment, Night also showed a disdainful smile, playing the role of the villain, looking at the envoy with pity and saying, "I don't understand,
What has made the Spanish rebels so foolish and arrogant?!"
Is it the Goddess of Luck who gave you such confidence?
If you want to surrender, fine.
Accept your fate as prisoners.
Go till the land, work for Rome, everything belonging to the defeated rightfully becomes the property of the victors.
Even if we kill you, the wealth you possess will still belong to Rome."
Though Night occasionally showed kindness, he was no saint.
He only protected those connected to him and the forces under his influence.
He would only save those within his sight and within his power.
So, while he was well aware of the darkness of war, he wasn't naive enough to preach about saving even his enemies.
At this moment, he showed no mercy.
His icy words struck the envoy's heart, leaving his face pale and filled with fear.
"I am not a true hero," Night was well aware of this, but he admired those who were true heroes and was willing to save those tragic, genuine saints.
Unfortunately, these Spanish rebels were not among them.
In fact, due to the perilous escape he had experienced at the Ebro River when he first arrived, these Spanish rebels were nothing but enemies to him.
After all, showing mercy to your enemies is the greatest stupidity.
.
.
.