Maybe, Possibly, Reinforcements Could Come from the Sky?

A surge of information flooded his mind, and Night quickly understood his identity in this simulated universe.

He was in the midst of the Spanish Wars following the Third Punic War.

Carrying the momentum from the destruction of Carthage, Rome had established itself as the dominant power in this region.

However, this did not deter the neighboring small states from resisting.

Many lands that had been under Roman control or colonization were now rebelling against Rome.

The Spanish War was the largest of these rebellions, the land's previous ruler being the recently destroyed Carthage.

The Senate had dispatched a Roman army to quash this rebellion, but the campaign was not going smoothly.

In this scenario, he was as a common soldier in the Roman army.

Their unit had been ambushed during a march, and they were now in disarray, their forces shattered.

The battlefield was a chaotic scene of screams and clashes, with enemy soldiers everywhere.

A Spanish rebel suddenly lunged at Night from behind…

Reacting swiftly, Night sidestepped and swung his sword, decapitating the attacker.

It seemed as if the enemy had willingly offered their neck to his blade.

'I need to get out of here…'

Quickly assessing the unfavorable situation and drawing from his knowledge of Roman history, Night understood what was happening.

In this Spanish rebellion, Rome would suffer a crushing defeat and their commander would eventually be captured by the enemy.

The Romans would have to ransom their soldiers with substantial resources and equipment, retreating back to Rome in disgrace.

Though the precise moment of the Spanish War's collapse was unknown, a glance at the battlefield revealed that barely one in ten Roman soldiers remained.

Under such circumstances, even with his current strength and iron body, Night couldn't guarantee he could turn the tide for his comrades.

Even if he could kill ten, fifty, or even a hundred soldiers, his stamina would eventually run out.

Well..instead of finding himself in the future, he had landed in Rome's past.

Whatever, in such a situation there was no time for contemplation—

Realizing this battle was likely unwinnable and feeling no loyalty to Rome, Night decided to flee immediately!

Having come this far, he didn't want to die so soon in the simulated universe.

Unable to ascertain the terrain or his current location, he fought his way towards the direction with the fewest enemies as per his instincts and observations.

Slashing through enemies as he ran, Night seized a spear from a fallen foe.

Armed with the spear, his combat effectiveness soared, combined with the speed inherited from Achilles' template…

He quickly broke free from the heart of the battle, the pursuing enemies failing to catch up.

As an ordinary soldier, no one particularly cared about his survival.

"Help, help me!" On the battlefield's edge, a Roman soldier, surrounded by three Spanish rebels and feeling hopeless, saw Night in Roman gear and called out in desperation.

Seeing his Roman soldier uniform, the enemies immediately prepared to kill him, but Night swiftly hurled his spear, piercing one of their heads, then cleanly decapitated the other two Spanish rebels with his sword.

Ignoring the rescued soldier's thanks, Night continued moving forward.

As he progressed, Night continued to slay enemies and saved many comrades along the way.

By the time he finally broke through the battlefield, he looked back and realized that a significant number of soldiers had gathered behind him—43 in total.

[You arrived on the battlefield of the Spanish War right after descending.

As a Roman soldier witnessing the inevitable collapse of the full-scale war, you chose to flee.

Along the way, you saved many lives.

Your strength attracted numerous soldiers to follow you voluntarily.

Due to the loss of control on the Spanish battlefield, the commanding general has already been killed by the enemy, leaving the Roman soldiers leaderless.

Many intelligent soldiers chose to flee when casualties exceeded half.

These fleeing soldiers now hope you can lead them to safety.

Your displayed strength has earned their respect, and they are willing to follow you as their leader, temporarily relying on your wisdom.]

On an unnamed hill, looking at the 43 people he had rescued and understanding their thoughts, Night decisively accepted them.

With 43 people, it was not enough to draw significant attention from the Spanish rebels, but it was strong enough not to be considered weak.

If they encountered enemies, they could help share the burden in battle.

"Let's be clear: I can lead you in escaping, but you must absolutely obey my orders;

If you can't do that, leave now on your own.

Otherwise, at the critical moment, I won't hesitate to cut off your heads!" Night said coldly.

These deserters had no real loyalty and they were even less trustworthy than his household slave soldiers.

But under Night's established system, those slaves would fight madly to their last drop of blood for their descendants' future, making them far more reliable than these soldiers.

He didn't care if these men were truly loyal or not after all, they could not do anything to him... but if they slacked off or caused trouble, he would pierce their hearts without hesitation.

Hearing his words, the soldiers exchanged glances and then nodded in agreement.

No one wanted to die at the hands of their comrades after surviving the enemy's assault.

The group continued fleeing, and among the 43, a person, who was someone familiar with the terrain proposed heading towards the Ebro River, the nearest safe location.

The Ebro River—located in northeastern Spain, is the longest, most voluminous, and largest drainage basin in Spain;

It marked the boundary between Roman and Spanish territories, as well as between Roman and Carthaginian lands in the past.

With their commander dead and their main force annihilated, a retreat was inevitable.

As long as they found the Roman main force near the Ebro River and rejoined them, they wouldn't be deserters but war survivors.

They might still have a chance to return to Rome…

After analyzing, everyone agreed with this plan and started moving towards the Ebro River.

As they fled for an indeterminate period, they encountered no Spanish pursuers, much to everyone's relief.

Seeing their target, the Ebro River, ahead, the soldiers were overjoyed, thinking they would soon meet up with the reinforcements.

However, seeing this scene Night felt a growing sense of unease…

His senses which had been enhanced by his strengthened vitality, were far superior to those of ordinary people.

As he scanned the horizon towards the Ebro River, Night didn't see anything that looked like boats and this realization caused his heart to sink.

Beyond the blue sky, white clouds, and a serene, tranquil lake surface, there was nothing.

So where was the Roman main force that was supposed to be reinforcing them?

There were no ships,

Were the reinforcements supposed to swim across the lake?

Or perhaps there were no reinforcements at all?!!