Bavaria was the first to charge out, and with a whirlwind slash, took down several Roman soldiers. Immediately after, the other followers swarmed in, encircling the remaining enemies.
The Roman soldiers hurriedly retreated towards the minotaurs. Linley decisively ordered, "Kill!"
The minotaurs sprang up, lowered their heads, and charged at the Roman soldiers. With a fierce impact, they lifted the enemies and their shields into the air, then slammed them heavily to the ground, trampling them and instantly killing dozens of Roman soldiers.
"Kill! Kill all the Romans! Kill all of Holiness!"
The minotaurs roared continuously. Although Linley had anticipated this, it was now difficult to control their excitement, so he let it unfold.
Hearing the commotion, the Roman soldiers in the nearby cottages immediately scrambled, grabbing their weapons and armor, and came out to form ranks. At this moment, Linley felt fearless. With over two hundred minotaurs, and the opposing side having only about five hundred Roman soldiers, facing a two-to-one fight, he had never felt so confident in battle.
He quickly instructed his followers to distribute weapons to the minotaurs. They also stripped the equipment from the fallen Roman soldiers and distributed it to the minotaurs. Some minotaurs pulled wooden planks from the cottages and waved them excitedly. In no time, the cottages collapsed, further exciting the minotaurs. Those without weapons picked up anything they could use from the ground.
The Roman soldiers on the other side had already organized their formation and were slowly advancing.
Linley suddenly sensed something was wrong. It seemed that there were more than five hundred people on the other side, but over six hundred. Although the difference in numbers wasn't large, the extra hundred were not Roman soldiers. They were dressed in robes and holding crosses, clearly priests of Holiness. Among them was one wearing a black robe with a red interior, a golden crown on his head, and a golden beard hanging down to his abdomen.
His sharp eyes swept towards Linley, his tone filled with delight, "The god of wine! The god of wine is here!"
The Roman soldiers became agitated, asking each other, "The Dionysus? Is this the Dionysus Linley?"
"He actually came here?"
"I heard he has an army of sixty thousand. We only have five hundred here, what should we do?"
"His sixty thousand troops aren't with him. We shouldn't fear him. Even if he can summon an army, summoning takes time."
"Romans never run. Even if we die today, we must take down Linley!"
Linley was quite surprised to hear this. These people seemed to truly believe he could summon an army of sixty thousand. Where did this rumor come from? He had never led such a large army.
If it was a lie, what benefit would Rome gain by deceiving its own soldiers? If it were ordinary people, facing an enemy of sixty thousand with only five hundred, they would likely flee immediately.
These Roman soldiers were well-trained, and Rome's reputation was formidable, undefeated and invincible, yet their morale was somewhat shaken. In formation combat, the most feared thing was disunity. The brave remain brave, the fearful remain fearful. Once engaged, an uneven battle line would quickly collapse.
If Roman soldiers in other places reacted to Linley in the same way, it would be a big problem. Why would Rome's central command actively spread such a rumor? Was it really because of Nero?
"Everyone, do not be afraid," said the golden-bearded man. "With me here, the false god cannot exert divine power, nor can he summon an army!"
Bathed in the golden light, the entire farm seemed to be shrouded in a thin mist, with wisps of white smoke rising from wherever the light touched. Linley felt weighed down by the light, as if the discomfort and weakness of an impending cold were overtaking him.
"What is this?" Linley asked in confusion.
"This is the Holy Light of Holiness, which can suppress the divine power of other gods," the system replied.
Linley had initially thought the system would let him figure it out on his own, but its quick response showed this was something serious. Under the Holy Light, Linley felt sluggish all over, his movements slowed, and his strength and speed significantly diminished without the boost of divine power.
Bavaria looked extremely strained, his breathing heavy. Having already died and been summoned back from the divine realm, he was relying solely on Linley's divine power to exist in the mortal world.
"That's a summoned pseudo-god soldier, everyone watch closely," shouted the man with the golden beard, his body radiating an even brighter light.
Bavaria shook his head at Linley, then his body dispersed and returned to the divine realm. Linley quickly went to the divine realm and found Bavaria drenched in sweat, like he had just been pulled out of water.
"He's fine, just temporarily unable to be summoned," the system explained.
"The Holy Light is so powerful?" Linley exclaimed in astonishment. "No wonder even the Olympian gods are no match."
The one using the Holy Light wasn't Holiness himself, or even an angel, but just a human apostle like a bishop, yet he could suppress Linley so effectively.
"No, it mostly depends on the amount and quality of divine power. Your divine power is too weak to compare with Holiness. Even if this bishop borrowed just a little of Holiness's power, it's enough to completely suppress your divine power," the system said.
"Can we still fight, or do we have to run?" Linley asked.
Linley thought about the newly acquired minotaur followers, as well as the original priests and fisherman followers, wondering how many could survive. If he stayed behind, perhaps he could save a few more.
After all, it was Linley who brought them here; without him, they might still be living well. Linley had originally wanted to bring them a better life, but now it seemed like a pipe dream.
"You can choose to flee or to fight. Although your divine power is suppressed, your skills are still useful," the system said.
Linley felt helpless; most of his abilities depended on divine power. Without it, he might not even win a one-on-one fight against an old Roman soldier, let alone a one-on-two. Even in a berserk state, he couldn't handle a one-on-ten fight.
There were over two hundred minotaurs here; in a berserk state, he might take down more than five hundred Roman soldiers, but the opponent also had a bishop and over a hundred priests. These priests were clearly not just for show. If they summoned an angel, what then?
Linley currently had a few skills: besides berserk, there was perfect aim and the Bacchus cavalry. However, neither could be used without a bow and arrow or a mount, and all he had was a slingshot... wait, cavalry? Could he exploit a bug?