The corner of her mouth curled up into a smile:
"So—
After hundreds of years apart, this is how you repay me? Aeneas.
I curse you, I curse your Rome. In the name of Elissa, I will destroy everything you love."
As she spoke these words, the temple suddenly changed.
Night's earlier action seemed to have triggered something.
The temple was now filled with the sounds of wailing, curses, and insults.
Countless spectral apparitions suddenly appeared in the hall, all clad in armor. Night recognized the style—
He had seen it before in Rome, among the trophies collected by the nobles: the armor of Carthaginian soldiers.
Recalling Caesar's account of hearing the wails of thousands of spirits when he passed by the ruins of Carthage.
'I knew Caesar wouldn't lie to me.'
And when he heard the name "Elissa" from the girl, something clicked in his mind.
Elissa—Elissa…
"Are you Dido?!—Queen Dido of Carthage?"
Elissa, the daughter of King Mutto of Tyre in Phoenicia, was given the name "Dido" by the Libyans, meaning "wanderer."
It was Dido who led a group of wanderers to establish the city of Carthage.
The hero Aeneas, after fleeing Troy, arrived in this land and begged Dido for shelter.
The two fell in love—
But under the orders of the Olympian gods, Aeneas was driven to cross the Mediterranean and establish Rome, leaving Dido behind, even though she had offered to share her throne and rule Carthage with him.
Aeneas' betrayal and abandonment turned Dido's love into hatred.
She cursed Aeneas and the land of Rome he would later establish.
She then wrote her final words and threw herself into a funeral pyre.
From that moment on, Carthage, following her final instructions, was to be Rome's eternal enemy, sworn to destroy Aeneas' Rome.
Of course—
This was just a mythological tale, with no historical evidence.
But now, the myth was unfolding right before Night's eyes.
The girl who called herself Elissa, like a queen, issued a command—"Kill him!
Let the blood of the hero Aeneas stain this underworld! Hateful Aeneas!
This time, you will not leave Carthage. You will sleep here with me, forever."
Then, the spirits erupted!
A horde of spirits surged forward, overwhelming in their numbers.
A true Undead Cataclysm—!
Night quickly engaged in battle with his twin spears, converting his life force into something similar to Mana Burst.
At this moment, he no longer cared about the cost as crimson lightning spread across his body as he charged into the spirits.
Fortunately—
This magecraft like energy was effective against the spirits.
For the time being, Night didn't have to worry about physical attacks being useless against them.
*Boom!!*
Like a human lightning bolt streaking across the ground, he hurled one of his spears to clear a path.
It wasn't a throwing technique, just a simple spear imbued with Mana Burst properties.
In the next moment, he charged along the path opened by the spear, heading straight for the girl.
The latter didn't move.
Instead, she smiled, her crimson eyes filled with mockery and encouragement, as if saying, *Keep going—!*
*Next time for sure!*
Afterwards, countless undead spirits turned into shields and stood in front of him. They let out shrill howls, and even the air was shaken.
Night's momentum was halted by the shockwave.
By the time he recovered and fought his way through the spirits, the girl had already moved to another location.
"Keep it up! Handsome big brother—!
I love the way you fight.
Fight, fight, keep fighting.
Show me the power hidden deep within you."
At this moment, rhe golden-haired, crimson-eyed girl tilted her head with a sweet smile, but her temperament could not return to the sacred appearance of her previous blue eyes, as if she was a red spider lily in hell.
All that was left was the cuteness yet the devilish nature of choosing who to kill.
However, the girl soon froze all over.
Because in the next moment, Night's figure vanished from her sight.
Just as she showed a look of confusion, Night suddenly appeared behind her, without her noticing, slashing down with his sword.
*Clang~!!!*
A scythe attached to a chain blocked the attack.
The girl, holding the other end of the chain in her hands, suddenly leaped away from Night, her expression one of surprise.
"Your speed—! What's going on?
Hey, hey, how can a human in this era possess such divine speed?"
Her wide, adorable eyes were filled with disbelief, as if she had witnessed something unimaginable.
Night didn't respond.
Having inherited the divine speed talent of the hero Achilles, he naturally stood out in this era of Rome.
But he saw no need to explain that to her.
He merely spoke.
"You're not the Queen of Carthage, are you? At least, not Queen Dido…"
The girl was slightly stunned, then a smile appeared on her face and she asked, "Oh? Why do you say that?"
She didn't deny it.
"Whether it's curses, killing intent, or hatred—it's all superficial. My perception is strong enough to distinguish that these emotions don't belong to you. They're just part of your power.
Your true emotions, aside from killing intent, are only killing intent—!"
"If you were truly Queen Dido, and you mistook me for Aeneas, you couldn't possibly lack even a trace of hatred."
Curses? Killing intent. Hatred? Still killing intent—
So, aside from wanting to fight me and kill me, you have no other thoughts, right?
It was precisely because Night could sense the other party's pure emotions and soul that he was certain she wasn't the Queen of Carthage.
However, there was one think, he couldn't figure out, so he asked plainly.
"We shouldn't know each other, right?
Why do you harbor such intense killing intent toward me? Who are you, really?"
The girl listened to Night's words without interrupting. Under her command, the spirits also ceased their attacks.
By the time he finished speaking, the girl's face was flushed, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
It wasn't fear of being exposed, nor was it fear of Night's power—it was excitement.
"Heh, haha… HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!
HAHAHAHA—! Dragon of Rome's land, hero chosen by the will of Rome's soil.
A newborn dragon.
I really like you!
So that's how you figured it out?"
The girl felt happy and even delighted, as she thought she had found someone of the same kind.
Only someone equally pure could sense the real her beneath the surface.
A desire for battle, to fight, fight and fight forever, not out of any enmity or reason, but simply the urge to kill.
This generation's Aeneas—she was utterly captivated by him!