Inside the Embassy Row, where the foreign dignitaries and ambassadors of rival nations resided, chaos was unfolding.
A delegate, dressed in his signature blue coat and tricorn hat, gripped the arms of his chair, his face pale as he turned to his assistant.
"Tell me I'm hearing things. Tell me I haven't just witnessed what I think I've witnessed."
The assistant, still fumbling with a telegraph machine, stammered.
"Sir, the informants confirm it, 24,000 armed soldiers, all equipped with weaponry we do not recognize, marched directly into the palace."
The delegate gasped, running a hand through his powdered wig.
"And the… the beast?! The Iron Fenrir?! That's a damn myth! It can't be real!"
The assistant swallowed hard.
"Sir, our Informants have verified it. The beast is real. The Imperator is real."
Another diplomat, his face red with panic, slammed a fist on the table.
"We need to send word to our home governments IMMEDIATELY. This… this is a power shift unlike anything we've ever seen. If the Spartanum Ducatum has a ruler of d*vine favor, then war is inevitable and Spartanum Imperium Is born again!"
The room descended into hysteria. Telegraph operators were ripping through codes, hastily translating messages that would reach foreign capitals within hours.
But no matter how fast their hands moved, no matter how many reports were sent, they all contained the same, terrifying words.
Only for another thing that happened to schock them down to their core.
"What In the actual bloody f*ck mate?"
One of the ambassadors couldn't help but curse as he watched the magical scene playing out around the Imperial palace right In front of his eyes.
The singing, the laurel leaves, the lights all of It rubbed salt Into his subconciuos wound that the Hellenic pantheon Is real, and no matter how every nation tried to explain It with science.
They couldn't deny It that those that believed In the old g*ds had magical powers such as making wheat grow faster, accelerating healing wounds, superhuman strength, speed Intuition, reflexes and the like.
What he saw made whim feel like he was the actual heathen and that his g*d was the fake one as he considered spartans and their g*ds to be, the final report sent to every other nation on Gaia was this.
The Imperator has returned. He rode through the capital atop an Iron Fenrir a myth come to life leading an army of 24,000 unknown soldiers.
Followed by supernatural phenomena of chorus singing, falling laurel leaves, descending Valkyries and rays of light.
Seeing this the spartan citizens have begone kneeling massively on the spot In the direction of the Imperial palace.
And now, there is only one sound in Nova Roma. All hail the Imperator.
...
MC POV
Deep inside, I was losing my f*cking mind.
Wait a f*cking minute I didn't write this part!
I expected resistance, expected political maneuvering, expected scheming senators trying to stab me in the back just like I wrote.
BUT I DID NOT EXPECT A FULL BLOWN D*VINE CORONATION.
Only for Dzeus extremely tired voice like he was about to keel over any second to sound In my mind.
Hope this helps creator after all were In the same boat...
"Hahaha good one, old man."
I muttered under my breath, smirking despite myself while mentally giving Dzeus the all father a thumbs up.
Thanks Zeus the big Z. You're the man.
I replied mentally while leaning back crookedly on the throne, tapping my armored fingers against the armrest.
Well, sh*t. Guess I really am the Imperator now.
I thought rather depressingly because I knew there was a s*itload of work to be done with a bonus of countless all nighters for the foreseeable future as the entire court knelt before me.
While the chanting of my name spread throughout the city, as the golden light of the g*ds still flickered around me...
No rest for the wicked huh?
The chanting still echoed through the grand hall, bouncing off the marble pillars and golden domes like a deafening storm of voices.
"ALL HAIL THE IMPERATOR!"
Again and again. The sheer force of their devotion made the very air tremble. It was chaos. I took a deep breath, my chest rising and falling beneath the weight of my armor.
"ENOUGH!"
I roared at the top of my lungs, but my voice wasn't enough to break through the madness. I frowned. Then, Lupa moved.
The Iron Fenrir opened her mouth wide open exposing razor sharp alloy teeth that could snap a man In half easily.
And then, she roared. A shockwave of sound exploded through the chamber, an earth shaking, gut punching, soul rattling sound that made the very foundations of the Imperial Palace tremble.
The chandeliers above swayed, dust and tiny bits of gold leafed paint crumbling from the ceiling, the people gasped In terror, some screamed, and more than a few outright collapsed in terror.
The chanting died instantly. A perfect silence.
I turned to Lupa and nodded in thanks, patting her massive head. She huffed proudly as If showing off saying here look I just silenced evryone no bigie, curling back down beside my throne, her golden eyes watching the court like a hunter waiting for prey to make the wrong move.
Now that I had their attention, I rose from my throne, standing tall, looking over the gathered crowd.
"LISTEN UP."
My voice cut through the silence like a blade, cold, sharp, unrelenting.
"MY FIRST DECREE AS IMPERATOR"
I paused, letting the words hang in the air, before dropping the hammer.
"NO ONE LEAVES THIS CHAMBER WITHOUT A UNIT OF MY PARATROOPER CONTUBERNIUM ESCORTING THEM OUT AND CONTINUING TO PROVIDE 24/7 PROTECTION."
Murmurs. Nervous glances. Fear spreading through the room like a slow acting poison.
"ANYONE WHO REFUSES IS A TRAITOR TO THE IMPERIUM."
Silence. Dead, suffocating silence. Followed by panic. The patricians and senators exploded into movement, their once polished composure shattering like fragile glass.
Some tried to reason, some pleaded, others whispered amongst themselves like rats scurrying for an escape.
But one, one was particularly daring. A nobleman stepped forward, his crimson tunic lined with golden embroidery, a symbol of his high rank within the Senate.
He had the face of a man who had never been told "no" in his life. He took a bold step forward, his sandals clicking against the marble, before raising a shaking but defiant hand, pointing directly at me.
No dont, please dont do It man, dont you want to f*cking live? Think about youre wife, think about youre daughters and sons, for f*cks sake think about youre grandchildren, youre f*cking dooming them to death.
Internally I screamed desperadly hoping that the fool wont follow the script because I knew full well what I will have to do keep up with the plot and I didnt like that one bit.
"THIS IS TYRANNY!"
His voice rang through the hall, his arrogance burning bright even in the face of certain death.
"WE ARE THE SENATE! THE TRUE POWER OF THIS NATION! YOU THINK YOU CAN STRIP US OF OUR FREEDOM WITH SUCH A FARCE OF A CORONATION?!"
"I REFUSE! I AM A SENATOR OF NOVA ROMA, NOT SOME DOG TO BE ORDERED AROUND BY A DRUNKARD WHOSE ONLY CLAIM TO POWER IS..."
CRACK.
He didn't even get to finish. Two of my paratroopers moved before I even had to signal them. The first one kicked his legs out from under him with brutal precision, sending him crashing onto his knees, his arms flailing as he barely caught himself on his palms.
The second one pressed the muzzle of his assault rifle against the back of the senator's skull, his finger already tightening on the trigger. The entire court went pale. The senator, for the first time, felt real fear.
"WAIT...NO, NO..."
"STOP."
I raised a hand, my voice cold, absolute. The soldier froze, but he did not lower his weapon. The senator sagged in relief, panting heavily, his forehead damp with cold sweat. I stared down at him, my expression unreadable.
"Bring him to me."
The two paratroopers didn't hesitate. They grabbed the senator like a sack of grain, his protests muffled by the sheer force of their grip, and dragged him before me.
They threw him onto the cold marble floor, right at the foot of my throne. I stood. And for the first time, I felt the true weight of the Imperator's role. Because now. Now, I had to prove it.
You bloody fool, you did this, you forced my hand you f*cking made me do this.
I roared In my mind my eyes turning bloodshot, my heart threathening to burst and my bloodvessels to pop as I started breathing like a wild beast, my body trembling, cold sweat secreting from my pores.
As I stepped down from the throne's platform, my heavy boots thudding against the stone.