When Opitaurion announced his name, someone immediately shouted, "This is the hero from behind the White Mountain!" ”

The White Mountains are located in the southwestern part of Crete, a relatively isolated region where the indigenous people have lived in isolation since the island was inhabited, far behind the central and eastern parts of the island, where trade had already been established, but there are also people who have come out of here, such as this one.

Seeing that someone was challenging him, he looked at the hero, motioned for Pistis to retreat with the guards behind him, and took his spear in response: "I, Ofios, accept your challenge!" ”

On the islands of the Aegean Sea, a heroic challenge cannot be refused unless one party voluntarily gives up all honor and possessions.

However, he is never afraid of a challenge.

Someone in the crowd shouted, "We need a witness to witness this sacred heroic duel!" ”

Amid the cheers, a shirtless man with a magnificent gold and gemstone collar around his neck and a short skirt with a girdle stood in the sunlight and said in a loud voice: "I, Tuyna, tribune of the port, in the name of the gods, am willing to be a witness to this duel. ”

The tribune was the official entrusted by the temple of Knossos to reconcile conflicts and conflicts here for the sake of the port trade, and he was also the caretaker of the many gods and goddesses on the port.

The tribune was required to be impartial in his dealings and not take sides, so that the merchants and slave owners could be convinced, so it was fitting that he should witness the duel.

The crowd immediately cheered, as if it were a big festival, and soon someone removed the cluttered and congested goods in the square, clearing a large open space for the two heroes who were about to duel.

Tuyna had the slaves bring in a bronze double-headed axe and erect it on a pedestal at the edge of the harbor square.

The double-headed axe symbolizes the gate of life and death, as well as neutrality, capable of arbitrating between different beliefs and ethnic groups.

In this era, Cretan mercenary fleets and colonies spread throughout the Eastern Mediterranean, and goods and merchandise from various countries converged in ports.

After three hundred years of prosperous trade, merchants and slave owners from all countries have come to recognize the meaning of the two-headed axe.

After straightening the double-headed axe, Tuyingna stood under this sacred symbol and shouted in a long but deep voice: "Now, people of the gods, make your sacrifice to the gods." ”

He stretched out his hand to Ophios' side and said, "If you are optimistic about the son of Ezeisala, the hero from the island of Thera and the Mother of Life, then put your belongings on this side near the sea." ”

He stretched out his hand to the right again, "If you are optimistic about the hero from the White Mountain, the son of the hunting god 'Sagameto', then please put your belongings on this side of Knossos Avenue." ”

As soon as he finished speaking, the wealthy merchants and slave owners could not wait to make their choice.

On the side of Opios, the belongings were soon piled up into a small knoll, and continued to grow, containing clay pots, jewels, ore, wine, and even scattered gold and bronze, and it was evident that most people were more optimistic about him.

Although there were many people who thought that Opitaureon could win, and there were some belongings piled up on him, which were shabby compared to Ofios, the crowd was in an uproar, because someone put fifteen cowhide ingots on Opitaureon's side in one go!

The so-called cowhide ingots are not cowhides, but copper ingots made of bronze and tin, but similar in appearance to cowhide.

Ofios was a little surprised, a cowhide ingot has more than two hundred bekaa, almost twenty-seven kilograms of later generations, and fifteen cowhide ingots, the smelted bronze can be used to build a full set of ten heavy infantry weapons, in addition to the regular shin armor, helmet, body armor, even swords, shields, spears and other weapons can also be included. This item is usually only found in national trade, and is not something that ordinary merchants can get their hands on.

He glanced at the man who had sent the sacrifice, two Mycenaean merchants, who, though their garments were delicate and ornate, always had a sense of barbarism that the Menoans despised.

He retracted his gaze, knowing in his heart that today's battle was probably deliberately arranged by someone, but it was nothing, compared to what he could get, he didn't need to care about it at all.

When the two Mycenaean merchants returned to the edge of the square, they were asked why they had made this choice, and how did they think that Ophios had a better chance of winning.

One of the merchants confidently said that although Opiot was strong, he had just finished a trip and had undergone what must have been an extremely fierce hunt, and that he had not yet bathed or sacrificed, and that the gods had not washed away his fatigue, and that Opitaurion must have come after praying for the blessings of the gods, so he had a better chance of winning.

Hearing his words, many people felt that it made sense and regretted it, but the sacrifice could not be changed under the double-headed axe, which would offend both the gods and the duelists on both sides. For in the end, in addition to what he had gained, one part was to be given to the temple and another to the victor.

Although Opios did not look tired, perhaps it was really as the Mycenaeans said? They could only pray to the gods for mercy on the hero.

Caprias had not moved at first, but now that he had thought about it, he walked under the double-headed axe, carefully took out the ruby he treasured, and placed it on the side of Ofios.

When he returned, he said to the Myoan slave beside him, "I have heard of this Opitaureon, and legend has it that he hunted an entire army of lions with only a spear and a shield, and that he had captured a group of pirates by himself, and slain two of the famous heroes of Pylos, whom the Mycenaeans held in high esteem. ”

The slave asked, "Then why did the master bet the jewel with Opios?" ”

"No matter how powerful Opitaureon is, he can deal with mortals, and Opios ......" Caprias looked in the direction where the sea monster had been carried away, and said in a tone of awe, "his prey is a sea monster." ”

While everyone was thinking about the sacrifice, the two protagonists who participated in the duel were also preparing at the moment.

Opitaureon stepped aside, removed his helmet, and half-knelt down, muttering something as if he were praying to some god.

Opios, on the other hand, did not make a gesture of prayer to any of the gods, but simply stood there, calmly waiting for his opponent.

After a while, Opitaureon finished his prayer ceremony, put his helmet back on, stood up, and when he turned around, his eyes were unusually sharp, like that of a hunter before a hunt.

Tuyna kept an eye on the two men and said, "Ah, it seems that the two heroes are ready, then, in the witness of the gods, the two heroes can begin to chase your victory and glory!" May your fame spread across the seas and land, echoing above the mountains and rivers! The gods are watching you from above the sky with wine glasses, please them with your duels! ”

Amid the frenzied shouts of the crowd, he retreated, leaving the venue to two people.

With only two people left in the square, Ofios and Opitaureon, their contrast became apparent. Although Opitaureon is on the thin side, his muscles are strong, and the leather armor on his body also protects all important parts.

His opponent, Ofios, was only draped in a white shawl, revealing his solid and well-defined chest and abdominal muscles, and the edge of the shawl was embellished with white and gold feathers, adding a touch of sacredness and nobility. The lower half of his body is a sheet of leather skirt armor with gold bronze buckles underneath the armor plates, which allow them to fit against the legs.

He only held the bronze spear in his hand, did not carry a shield, and did not wear a longsword at his waist like the warrior behind him.

Opitaurión stared at Ofios and struck his shield with his spear, making a loud bang.

Ofios picked up his spear and slammed it to the ground.

After a courtesy gesture, Opitaurion sank into a mid-position position with both offense and defense, rather than the more offensive high-post spear.

He squatted slightly, buried his body behind the double-eared shield, pulled his elbows back, the spearhead poked out from the concave waist of the shield, the long barrel of the gun showed a line of level, and the center of gravity was also unusually stable, even if the onlookers did not know how to fight, they could feel that his posture was very comfortable and reasonable.

He used the Pylos spear fighting technique. Pylos is the place where the Mycenaean martial arts style is most prevalent, and spearfighting has spread throughout the Aegean islands, but he has combined some other combat techniques here to form his own unique style, so if his opponent habitually uses the same method of spearfighting against Pylos, then he will definitely be fooled.

He held his position, slowly moving forward with the strap-on soles of his feet, getting closer to his opponent little by little. He has shown a lot of patience and will need to look for the right opportunity against a hero with a big name.

Unlike him, Ofios still maintained his previous standing position, his back straight, his eyes like a deep night sky, deep and calm, and no outward emotion could be seen.

This calm posture put a great deal of pressure on Opitaureon, and he felt a slight uneasiness in his heart, but fortunately, he was a seasoned warrior, and immediately relieved it with a long breath.

"Demigods......"

He couldn't help but think of the name of his opponent in his heart, and he didn't believe it.

Since he walked out of the White Mountain, he has defeated one famous enemy after another, some of whom also claim to be demigods, but they are all mortal bodies, they will bleed when they are pierced by a spear, and they will die if their throats are cut by a sword.

The opponent may be very powerful, but he is too proud, he has no armor, no shield, so what do you rely on to win?

When he was a young boy, his father warned him that shields and armor would keep the eyes of the gods on you, even the most mighty enemies.

And now, the opponent has lost the protection of God!

The people in the port looked at the two people nervously, and under their gaze, the two people approached little by little, and as the two were about to approach the appropriate combat distance, everyone's breathing couldn't help but become short.

Opitauri suddenly took a probing step, his shield-wielding left hand opening a little, and the tip of his right spear reaching forward.

However, this is only a temptation, and if the opponent moves to his left side and tries to get around to the side of his left shield, then he can face the enemy head-on again by twisting his body slightly in the direction the shield opens. The opponent is in the outer circle, and no matter how fast the pace is, it is impossible to adjust faster than him in the inner circle.

His stab looks forward, but it's actually slightly to the right, and by virtue of its length, it already seals the opponent's angle to the right, and if the opponent tries to move to his right edge, then he just needs to take advantage of the situation, and if it goes well, he can just poke the opponent in one stroke and end the fight.

The opponent also has a choice is to step back, but the backward is never as fast as the forward, and the faster he retreats, the easier it is to lose the center of gravity, the opponent does not have a shield yet, which means that there is no cover in front of him, as long as he retreats, he has a great chance to succeed.

As he struck, his eyes were glued to Ofios through the edge of his shield, waiting for his opponent's choice.

Ofios also reacted at this time, the center of gravity of his body swung to his left side, and his footsteps also strode towards there, Opitaureon immediately sent a spear to swing and stab, but at this time, his left foot was only a little on the ground, and the center of gravity of his body swung to the right side, and then suddenly exerted force, rushing towards the outside of the opponent's shield.

Someone in the crowd exclaimed: "Step of Rhodes!" ”

The name of this step comes from Rhodes Island, where there are many snakes, and some people can dodge the attack of poisonous snakes with superb steps, and it becomes a wonderful and exciting sport, and Ofios's action just now is like successfully fooling the poisonous snake with the Rhodes step.

Although Opi Taurion stabbed the air, he did not panic, because people with high martial arts skills will also use their nimble feet to make feints to shake off the stabbing attack, and it is difficult to find a chance to hit such a person, so he has spare strength before attacking.

At this moment, he kept the direction of his left shield, rotated to the left with his waist as the axis, and at the same time brought his right elbow inward, and brought back the spear he sent, so that he not only returned to the original posture of attacking and defending, but also maintained a frontal confrontation with the enemy.

At this time, he suddenly heard a rush of footsteps, and quickly judged that the opponent was rapidly approaching him, and he was wary and a little puzzled, because it was not a wise choice.

In addition to the skill of the battle, the duel of heroes depends more on equipment and weapons, and the method of bypassing the spear and engaging in melee combat is not impossible, generally after getting closer, he pulls or pulls away the opponent's shield, and then uses a short sword to stab.

But Ofios did not carry any melee weapons, and rushed over against him a heavily armed warrior, with almost no chance of victory.

Regardless of the doubts in his heart, the experienced man was not disturbed by this, his left foot retreated slightly, his center of gravity sank, ready to meet the onslaught of his opponent, he had already thought that once Ofios was forced to stop by the shield, he would draw his short sword and kill him.

However, what happened next was not what he had imagined, he heard a thud in his ears, and the whole port square echoed from it, and then he felt as if he had been hit by a bull, his feet weightless off the ground, and his body was thrown backwards uncontrollably!

……

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