The Roman centurion glared fiercely and bellowed, "I warn you to concentrate on your work and stop your idle thoughts. You constantly think about escaping, which is absolutely unforgivable. The scriptures clearly state we all bear original sin, and the Son of God redeems us, but it comes at a price. You have the chance to serve the bishop and atone, yet you dare to run away. I'll send you to hell for eternal punishment!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he waved his hand, and the Roman soldiers' swords pierced the slaves, leaving them with dozens of bloody wounds before kicking them to the ground. Though not dead, the slaves writhed in agony on the ground.
"Curse you, curse you!" one middle-aged slave shouted angrily, "I had already regained my freedom; the god of wine freed me, but you captured me again!"
"So, you're a follower of Dionysus." The centurion sneered, stepping on the middle-aged slave's wound, causing blood to pour out continuously. "Then you deserve to die even more."
"I wasn't a follower of Dionysus before, but now I am. If I'm destined for hell, I'll fight my way up, dragging your empire and Holiness down with me!" The middle-aged slave's voice was filled with hatred.
"You? You're just a slave. In hell, you'd be nothing but the lowest maggot." The centurion drew his sword, ready to cut the middle-aged slave's throat, but suddenly, his body trembled, and a bloody hole appeared in his head, causing him to fall to the ground.
Everyone was stunned, and the Roman soldiers looked around in terror but could not find any trace of the enemy. The whole laundry yard fell into an eerie silence, and no one knew what to do next.
"If Holiness's heaven keeps enslaving me, what's the difference between heaven and hell?" The middle-aged slave continued to protest loudly.
The centurion was already dead, and no one stopped him, so he continued to shout. Seeing no one stopping him, he looked up and saw the centurion's corpse. Although he didn't understand what had happened, he laughed, "Ha ha, you died before me. Go to the fire pit, or go to heaven and be Holiness's slave. Who knows which is better. Your ancestors worshipped the gods of Olympus, living well in the divine kingdom, but you dragged them into Holiness's hell to suffer!"
Hearing the middle-aged slave's increasingly outrageous words, a decurion cautiously stepped forward, ready to kill him. Suddenly, his body swayed, and a hole appeared in his head, causing him to fall to the ground.
"It's him!" This time, a Roman soldier saw it and pointed at Linley in the distance, shouting, "It's that guy!"
Dozens of Roman soldiers quickly closed in on Linley. The slaves shouted together, grabbing whatever they could find to fight back. Both sides were instantly caught in a fierce brawl, with no clear winner. Even though the slaves outnumbered the Romans and most were followers of Dionysus, blessed with various divine skills, they lacked combat training and were clumsy with their weapons.
On the other hand, the Roman soldiers were well-equipped, wearing armor and carrying weapons, even though they were fewer in number and low on morale. Linley pulled out a slingshot and took down the Roman soldiers one by one with golden pellets. Even without divine power, his close-range, precise shots took out each enemy.
Seeing Linley's example, the slaves had a lightbulb moment. They didn't have slingshots, but they could use the Romans' clothes. They twisted the clothes into strips, folded them to make pouches, picked up stones from the ground, and after a few swings to build momentum, let go of one end, sending the stones flying.
This simple slingshot prototype, originally used by shepherds to scare off wolves, was easy to use but less accurate and powerful over long distances. David's defeat of Goliath with such a weapon was hailed as a miraculous feat.
The slaves kept swinging their makeshift slings, hurling stones that forced the Roman soldiers to retreat. The stones, though irregular in shape and not specifically chosen, had limited accuracy and power, which reduced the risk of friendly fire in the chaotic melee.
The Roman soldiers were in chaos, dodging flying stones while battling the nearby slaves. They were quickly overwhelmed, with most turning to flee and a few getting surrounded and beaten to death.
Hearing the commotion, the Roman soldiers outside rushed to check it out. They were stunned by the scene and, as they prepared to rush in to save their comrades, were driven back by a hail of stones. The church was a safe zone, so the Romans only had swords, no shields, and minimal armor. Seeing the unarmed slaves rebelling, they realized their equipment was insufficient and hurried back to retrieve their weapons.
The slaves cheered as the Roman soldiers retreated, but Linley knew it was not yet time to celebrate. He stood on a high platform and loudly reminded everyone, "The Romans will counterattack soon. We must arm ourselves and put on all the armor!"
Everyone agreed and immediately brought out the armor they were cleaning or had already cleaned, wiping off the oil stains with the Roman soldiers' clothes and putting it on. The Roman armor came in various types; the solid bronze armor required special training to wear, which the slaves did not have. The iron plate half-armor was difficult to wear but could be managed. Chainmail was easier to wear, similar to a robe but heavier, and thus the most popular. The more protective iron plate half-armor and bronze armor were abandoned, and everyone donned chainmail.
There were significant issues with weapons, as the captured ones were limited. The slaves used wooden laundry sticks tied with stones as makeshift hammers and repurposed Roman soldiers' clothing into slingshots.
Before they were fully prepared, the Roman soldiers attacked. They had retrieved their shields and formed a shield wall, slowly advancing.
Many slaves immediately fled. This was the church's backyard, surrounded by high walls, but without guards, they could still be climbed. However, those who climbed over the wall quickly returned, crying, "There are many Romans outside too!"