Boom~!!!!
A spiral spear of light descended from the sky like a pillar, crashing into the last stronghold of the Spanish rebels.
Instantly, the camp was filled with screams and cries of despair.
Before they could even flee,
whoosh!!!
Another massive pillar of light descended, followed by a searing blaze.
Huu—
Blue flames flickered in Night's eyes.
Without realizing it, he had entered that special mode again.
Even his breath seemed to carry highly concentrated ether.
When the remaining enemy forces, who had been holding out for a better deal, were met with this devastating attack, they finally broke.
They sent an envoy to surrender to the Roman army.
The last thinh they saw was the cold, blue-flame-wreathed figure of Night, standing atop a chariot, his gaze filled with overwhelming pressure.
Behind him stood rows of fully armed Roman soldiers, each holding a spear.
The soldiers took turns handing their spears to him.
Then, in full view of the envoy, the oppressive figure moved.
His posture was flawless, as if honed through countless repetitions, a motion ingrained into his very being.
And then—*Boom!!*
The spear in his hand erupted with radiant light, and a spiral meteor-like projectile shot into the distance, striking the earth.
The envoy could see the direction of the light pillar, it was heading straight for their camp.
Ah, ah, ah, ahhh—!!!
The envoy let out a sound that was somewhere between a cry and a laugh, overwhelmed by terror.
When the war finally ended and everything settled, the envoy, now brought before Night under guard, asked why they had been attacked even after preparing to surrender.
But Night never gave him an explanation.
Perhaps he didn't even care about the envoy, who was now just a lone prisoner.
With a casual wave, he ordered the soldiers to drag the envoy away and send him to Rome as a prisoner.
Then, he turned his attention to a letter from Scipio, sent from the ruins of Carthage.
Yes, the ruins of Carthage—
While he was leading the army to crush the last stubborn resistance of the Spanish rebels, he had also been experimenting with how to activate the blue-flame mode on the battlefield.
Night discovered that entering that special state was easier when he fought at full power, which led to the scene at the beginning—blockading the enemy camp and hurling divine spears.
Meanwhile, Tiberius and his allies were busy implementing the new policies, including the construction of a new city on the ruins of Carthage, a task entrusted to Scipio.
Everyone believed that only Scipio, who had destroyed Carthage, could suppress the restless spirits beneath the ruins and build a new city there.
But—something went wrong.
In the latest letter Scipio sent to Night, he mentioned—the two wolf statues that had just been erected in the new city square had mysteriously collapsed without anyone touching them.
Wolves held a special place in Roman culture.
Legend had it that Romulus, the founding ancestor of Rome, was raised by a wolf.
Thus, wolves were regarded by the Romans as sacred creatures.
When news of the statues' collapse reached Rome, it was regarded as an ominous sign by the Romans.
The Senate, which had been embroiled in internal conflict, suddenly ceased their infighting and united to condemn the incident.
They claimed that the collapse of the wolf statues was a divine punishment brought about by the reckless policies of the new laws.
"Divine punishment?"
Night scoffed as he read the letter.
If the gods of this era could still descend and truly deliver divine punishment, the first to be punished would be you greedy senators.
Unless the gods were blind or their eyes clouded by the waters of the Styx.
But—
"Didn't I tell Tiberius and the others to be more careful? How come the statue still collapsed?"
Thinking about it, Night couldn't help but frown slightly.
After all, this sudden collapse of the wolf statues also happened in history.
He originally thought it was the result of the Senate's meddling.
But this time, he was certain that after his warning to Tiberius, the Senate had no opportunity to interfere with the construction of the new city on the ruins of Carthage.
Yet, the newly erected wolf statues on the ruins of Carthage had still collapsed.
What was going on?
Considering that this world wasn't entirely devoid of the supernatural—
Could it really be the vengeful spirits of Carthage causing trouble?
Night wrote back to Scipio, saying he would personally come to investigate.
It just so happened that he had just finished dealing with the last rebel stronghold.
Soon after, Night arrived alone at the new city built on the ruins of Carthage.
He didn't bring any soldiers, conducting a surprise inspection to ensure that the Senate wasn't behind this and destroying evidence.
He had used a conceptualized Pegasus to enhance his warhorse, allowing him to travel swiftly through the night.
'Let me see what's really going on…'
When Night arrived, it was just before dawn.
The sun had yet to rise, and the workers building the new city were still asleep.
No one was there to greet him, but he didn't mind.
After riding his enhanced, flying Pegasus and surveying the city from above, he located the central square where the statues had collapsed, as described in Scipio's letter.
Then—
The moment Night leapt off the Pegasus and set foot on the ground, a rhythmic, pulsating sound, like a heartbeat, echoed in his ears.
*Thump, thump~!*
What was that?
*Whoosh~!*
The suddenness of it startled Night.
For a moment, he even wondered if he was hallucinating.
*Thump, thump—!!*
Another powerful vibration followed.
This time, Night clearly heard it—it was coming from beneath the ground.
—!
The earth's heart was beating?!
His hair stood on end, and he immediately went on high alert, his hand instinctively reaching for the spear at his side.
This was clearly beyond the scope of normal Roman history.
Recalling the sensation of Rome's land consciousness manifesting before—
If Rome's land could give birth to a will, what about Carthage, the Mediterranean powerhouse that had once rivaled Rome?
'Is it possible that Carthage's land consciousness is not completely extinguished yet?
Maybe, perhaps, it wouldn't be a problem—right?
'I can hear this strange sound because my senses are too sharp.'
'Ordinary people probably can't hear it.'
So, Night quickly came to a conclusion,
'If I ignore it, there's a 99% chance nothing will happen.'
Since Scipio, the younger, the Roman general who had turned Carthage to dust, had been fine on this land, there was no reason for him, an outsider, to encounter trouble.
The biggest difference between him and the Romans here was that he was a bit stronger, but that shouldn't matter, right?
However—