Chapter 5: Burden of the King

Nobody knew what was going on. Both god and man wonder what Leonidas threw that caused one of Kojiro's ears to burst.

Hermes, wanting answers, call a projection to replay the event. The messenger looks at Leonidas, getting an object from his shield. Once Leonidas threw it at Kojiro, Hermes paused it. Then he zoomed in on the image and was baffled at what he saw.

The messenger saw the image of a small cylinder with multiple circular dents. Hermes knew what Leonidas used.

"By the gods, Leonidas used a stun grenade on Sasaki Kojiro?!"

The fans were either shocked or livid upon learning about this.

"Coward!" A knight in the crowd bellowed

"You dishonor your kin!" A Mongol growled

"Disgusting, and you're the king?! Bah!" Another warrior king snarled

"Unworthy!" A valkyrie bellowed

Every warrior from every time period rained down their disgust and disapproval towards Leonidas. Even some spartans felt uncomfortable supporting their king with this much bile.

Meanwhile, Okita gritted his teeth, almost threatening to break. 

"Leonidas, that kusottare! He resorts to petty cowardice. This will not stand!"

At that moment, Souji unsheathes his katana and prepares to get involved.

"Time to tear him apart, Shinsengumi style!"

Before Okita could leap in, Kamiizumi grabbed the captain by the ponytail.

"OW! Kami, what the hell!" Souji yelled angrily

Kamiizumi replied sternly, "Do you want to make this worse? No, then sit down!"

Okita begrudgingly agrees as he plops down in defeat.

"This is Kojiro-san's fight. All we can do is cheer him on."

Jisai, on the other hand, felt his heart tightened as he watched in horror.

"No, no...not like this. For Kojiro to die like this. Such cruel fate." Jisai muttered while holding back his tears.

Kojiro slowly gets back to his feet.

"M-more tricks your god tells you to use. What is the extent of your sacrifice for someone who cares so little for you?"

Leonidas growls, "I don't expect you to understand! You don't know the weight I bare for my people."

Leonidas lunged at Kojiro, and before Sasaki could react, the spartan king slashed at Kojiro's side.

"Ack!" Kojiro yelped until his face met with Leonidas's shield.

Kojiro manages to go on the defensive despite his head ringing. Yet Leonidas begins to overwhelm him with shield bashes to break his guard. From there, Leonidas strikes Kojiro's left leg, slashes at the right forearm, and then rams him with the shield.

"Leonidas has once to take the lead once again, folks! You may not like it, but he's determined to win by hook or by kook," Hermes commentates as the action goes on. 

As this is going on, Ares feels vindicated at this moment.

"Ah, much better. I knew choosing Leonidas was my best choice."

He then glances behind his throne at the angelic server.

"Hey, server! Prepare my celebratory drink! The strongest wine you got, and make it snappy!"

The angel sighed as to prepare Ares's drink.

Ares laughs, "This is the best moment of my life! All of you will watch as Leonidas brings me closer to my ascension."

"Oh dear, don't you think it's too early to celebrate, Ares?"

The Greek war god glances over and sees Loki at the bar drinking doux champagne.

Ares huffed, "Shut your mouth, Loki. This is my moment, and I won't let you ruin it."

Loki feints a gasp, "Aw, so mean. I'm only suggesting that you shouldn't be quick to celebrate. After all, we haven't seen Kojiro's Divine Invocation."

Meanwhile, Kojiro barely dodges Leonidas's attack before collapsing to one knee. 

"No! Sasaki," Jisai yelled, also ready to give up hope until...

"Hey, old man! Quit your crying, yeah? He's not done yet."

Jisai, Okita, and Nobutsuna then glance at a lean yet toned man leaning against the edge, watching the fight. The man has short, shaggy dark teal hair, light orange eyes, a vertical scar on his right cheek, and a trimmed beard. This man wears a tattered black and blue sleeveless kimono showing a large faded wound, a white sash, and black pants with a katana and wakizashi beside them.

Nobutsuna smirks, "So you finally showed up, Musashi-san."

Founder of Niten Ichi-ryū and Rival to Sasaki Kojiro

Kensei Miyamoto Musashi

Miyamoto grinned, "Yeah, well, I just want to see how my rival is doing."

Jisai scoffs at this. 

"What? You come to relish in Kojiro's defeat!"

Miyamoto groaned as if he never heard the end of this.

"Seriously, Jisai-sama! It's been hundreds of years. Can't you just let it go?"

Jisai snorts while Okita asks Musashi.

"So why are you here then?"

Musashi smiled as he sighed, "Well, I came to cheer on my friend. After all..."

Musashi then runs his fingers on the scar on his chest.

 "He's the reason I finally understand what it means to be a swordsman."

Back in the arena, Kojiro managed to push Leonidas back. His clothes had some tattered and blood soaked through. As well as his hair untied and flowing.

Leonidas could see the nodachi wobble in Sasaki's hands.

Ares's voice echoed in the king's head.

"Well, Leonidas, you know what to do. Put the fool out of his misery."

Leonidas gritted his teeth as he charged to deliver the killing blow to Sasaki. 

Many members of the audience thought the end was near for Sasaki Kojiro. They felt the unjust king, Leonidas, would claim victory. However...

For Kojiro, Musashi, and Amaterasu herself, this moment has awakened the sword demon's power!

It happened so fast for Leonidas as his spear, the pride weapon for many spartans, was cut through.

"W-WHAT?!" Ares screamed as Leonidas's spearhead soared before landing on the ground.

Leonidas was stunned as he saw the golden ring-like pupils of Kojiro staring straight into the Spartan's soul.

"I can see you."

Before he could react, Kojiro landed another slash on Leonidas's chest.

Leonidas coughed as the pain felt worse due to the previous wound earlier. Leonidas tried to hit Kojiro with his shield, but the swordsman dodged with ease. 

"Tell me, Leonidas. Is this truly how you want to win?"

Leonidas pulled out a throwing knife toward Kojiro but was knocked away. 

"A king who stood against an army resorting to cowardice."

"Shut up!" Leonidas shouted

Leonidas got some distance to sling a bola at Sasaki.

"Nuh-uh," Sasaki Kojiro uttered as his sword cut the cord of the bola. 

Kojiro moved faster than Leonidas could comprehend and grabbed the shield.

"Now, let's see what you have behind your shield."

Before Leonidas would react, Kojiro positioned his body, and Judo threw the King of Sparta to the ground.

"I-I can't believe it?! Despite the beating he was taking, Kojiro has the spartan on the ground," Hermes exclaimed to the audience cheers.

"Yes," Jisai and Musashi said in unison.

The spartans and Gorgo looked in shock as Ares as he questioned this.

"W-what...is...this? Leonidas had him beat! So...how?"

Amaterasu smile as she explains, "Kojiro has seen through your tricks, Ares."

Athena perks up at this and says, "See? But I thought Kojiro was blind?"

"He is, but his Invocation allows him to sense one's soul to anticipate and counter anything his opponent throws at him. Therefore, he 'sees' Leonidas's aura."

Divine Invocation: Amenome (Heaven's Eye)

Kojiro shakes the battered shield and empties the hidden content. 

The shield was filled with grenades, throwing knives, a bag of gunpowder, flint and steel, and a curved dagger.

The warriors in the crowd booed as Kojiro emptied the tools out of Leonidas's shield. Once that's done, Kojiro slides the shield back to Leonidas.

"Now, with that junk out of the way, let's do this properly. Wouldn't you agree, Leonidas?" 

Leonidas gets to one knee and yells, "Why are you giving me back my shield?! After I took the low road, why beckon me to fight?!"

Kojiro had a look of pity on his face.

"Because sensing your aura. This isn't what you wanted, isn't it?"

Leonidas was shocked to hear that his opponent, then he growled, "Don't pretend like you know me. Do you know what I have lost!"

"No! I don't, but I can make a good guess," Kojiro stated sternly.

"I've heard you were a king who stood against impossible odds and didn't flinch even once. When the fight started, I felt that pride and drive from you. Then you change yourself into a coward. A facade. So now I ask you, King of Sparta. Will you become the man who defied the odds or Ares's slave?"

Everyone held their breath as Sasaki lay down the gauntlet. 

Ares gritted his teeth as he spoke to himself.

"You better not listen to that fool. Those cowardly tactics kept you alive. So do my will!"

Meanwhile, Leonidas was lost in thought after hearing Kojiro speaking the truth.

'He's...he's right. This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to be a proud warrior who either lived to victory or died in glory. A glory I was denied on that day.'

480 B.C.E

Greece

The Night Before the Battle of Thermopylae 

The stars shine across the night sky over Greece. Leonidas sits near the campfire as the Spartans spend possibly their last moments together. His thoughts lay heavy as he sharpened his spear. How would his kingdom and family be if he were gone? When he falls in battle, who will take over his stead?

As much as he wanted to see his wife and son, he knew retreating would mean cowardice. 

"My king, is something troubling you?" One of the spartans questioned

Leonidas gave a weary grin to his comrade. 

"I'm sorry, my brother. Just a lot on my mind."

Leonidas then rose up from his seat and spoke to his men.

"We all for what tomorrow will bring towards us. We will face two hundred fifty thousand Persians. They will come to this very passage to conquer Greece. This will be the day that may as well be our last. Despite our victories, this is our last stand. So I ask you. If you wish to return to Sparta, then speak up. I will not fault you if you want to return home."

Leonidas waited to see if anyone wanted to leave, but none hesitated. In addition to their willingness to die for their home, they stood firm in their conviction.

Leonidas gave a grin as he said, "Very well then. Tomorrow, we will fight! Regardless if we win or fall, the gods will praise our heroics throughout Olympus!"

"A'roo! A'roo! A'roo!"

The Battle of Thermopylae 

"Cowards!"

A wounded, rage-fuelled Leonidas said he plunged into a Persian soldier. 

He didn't know how this went wrong. 

'How did they get beside his forces? They weren't supposed to know about the alternate route, so how?'

As Leonidas thinks, he watches as many spartans being overrun by the Persian Immortals. He is then caught by surprise as he is stabbed in the side by another Persian. Leonidas retaliates by bludgeoning the warrior's skull with his shield. Leonidas drops to one knee as he coughs up some blood.

"My king!"

A young spartan with short auburn hair and brown eyes rushes to Leonidas's side.

"King Leonidas, we're being overrun by our enemies! What should we do?"

Leonidas's breathing was haggard as he looked at the young man.

"W-what's your name?"

"A-Aristodemus, sir?" Aristodemus said

Aristodemus

Spartan Soldier

Leonidas nodded, "I see... I have a request for you, Aristodemus."

"Anything, my king."

Leonidas exhaled, "There's a narrow route that can be used as an escape route. You must flee, return to Sparta, and inform all of Greece about this day."

Aristodemus was speechless.

"But... I swore to die beside you!"

Leonidas sighed, "I know, but this isn't a battle. It was a meaningless slaughter. And I won't have more of my men killed by cowards."

Meanwhile, a group of Persian Immortals headed towards Leonidas and Aristodemus.

"Go! That is my final command! And tell my wife that I'm sorry I won't be home."

With that, Aristodemus ran away as a bleeding Leonidas prepared to take as many Persians to Hades with him.

Present Day

Leonidas knelt in shame as he realized he become the thing he hated the most.

"What are you doing?! Kill him!"

Ares's voice boomed inside his head, but he didn't respond.

"What is this? Are you stupid or something? Get up and use the tools I gave you. NOW!"

Leonidas growled as he said, "...no."

In the skybox, Ares is taken aback at this. 

"No?! How dare you! You are MY champion, and you will do as I-"

"SHUT UP!" Leonidas yelled, which echoed in the arena.

Everyone was surprised at this outburst. 

Leonidas looks to Gorgo and the Spartans, then at Kojiro. 

"I am King Leonidas I of Sparta. The son of King Anaxandrides and proud general of Greece's greatest empire. I refuse to stoop to the level of cowards like you, Ares!"

Multiple veins bulge out of Leonidas's head, and his eyes roll to the back of his head.

"Therefore, I will fight for my people alone!"

With those words, the faith of the Spartans was renewed as they rallied behind their king.

Queen Gorgo wiped a tear from her eyes as she said, "Well done, my king."

Leonidas soughed as he left a massive weight on his back lifted. Sasaki gave an approving grin to Leonidas.

"Welcome back, Leonidas. It's about time you told that brute off."

Leonidas laughed as he replied, "A long time coming. Thank you, Sasaki, for reminding me who I am. Now then..."

Leonidas puts up the part of the spear with the spear.

"Let's finish this like true warriors!"

Sasaki Kojiro resumed his stance as he cast all of his onto Leonidas.

"Yes, let's see the real you this time."

Heavens Shifts as the First Match Concludes...