I Enslaved The Goddess Who Summoned Me

Chapter 325: The Wounded Heroes of the Light Empire (1)

Chapter 325: The Wounded Heroes of the Light Empire (1)

Before the Trojan War reached its inevitable conclusion, the Heroes of Light had already abandoned the blood-soaked battlefield, departing from Trojan soil and setting sail back to the Empire of Light. Their decision was not made lightly, but in the end, exhaustion, disillusionment, and the sheer brutality of the conflict left them with no reason to remain. What had once seemed like a righteous battle, a clash of legends, had devolved into something far more monstrous—something none of them had anticipated. 

The war had escalated to levels of violence beyond their comprehension. Both the Greeks and Trojans had become unrecognizable, their forces swollen with beings that defied the natural order. Monstrous creatures stalked the battlefield, warriors fought like demons possessed, and the very air was thick with an aura of malevolence. It was no longer just a war between men; it was something darker, something wholly unnatural. 

Sienna, the strongest among them, had suffered grievous wounds. The sight of her, usually so unshakable, so indomitable, brought low in battle had shaken them all to their core. She had been their role model, their pillar of strength—both back in high school and in this new, unforgiving world. If even she, the mightiest among them, could fall, then what hope did the rest have? Athena's swift intervention had saved her, but that moment had been the final straw. They could no longer ignore the truth. They were out of their depth. 

To make matters worse, Liphiel, the Divine Knight who had been leading them since Radakel's death, had died as well. Her death had left them adrift, leaderless, and uncertain. She had been their guide, their authority in this foreign land, and with her gone, the fragile structure that had kept them moving forward collapsed entirely. Jason and Aidan, two of their most formidable warriors, had also sustained serious injuries. The weight of leadership, then, had fallen upon Siara. And she, understanding the growing despair in her comrades, had been the first to make the call—to leave. 

It wasn't a decision made out of cowardice, but rather out of grim understanding. They were no longer fighting for anything. They had no stake in this war, and to remain was to throw their lives away for a cause that wasn't theirs. One by one, their classmates had agreed. Their pride was wounded, their spirits shaken, but in the end, survival took precedence. 

With the surviving knights of the Light Empire, they boarded their ships and turned their backs on the Achaean continent. It was their first true war—and, without a doubt, the worst experience of their lives. 

The bitter truth was that they had been woefully unprepared. A few months of fighting demons and beasts had not been enough to prepare them for the horrors of large-scale warfare. They had been naive, blinded by the intoxicating rush of their own strength. In Uteska, they had known defeat, but after that, they had grown—becoming stronger, more confident, even arrogant. They had convinced themselves that they could handle war. 

Though their bodies had endured the trials of war—bolstered by the blessings of the gods and the formidable skills they had honed—there was an entirely different battle they had failed to prepare for. The war had not only tested their strength but had also ravaged their minds. The horrors they had witnessed, the blood they had shed, and the overwhelming reality of their mortality had left them shattered in ways they had never imagined. 

Physically, they had survived. Mentally, they were crumbling. 

More than anything, they just wanted to go home. Not to the Light Empire, which had claimed them as its champions, but home—back to Earth. Back to their families, their old lives, their simple worries and mundane struggles. At first, being transported to this world had been exhilarating. It had felt like an adventure, a dream come true. But that dream had twisted into a nightmare. This world was a place of constant danger, where death lurked behind every misstep, where war was not a game but a relentless, merciless force that swallowed the unprepared whole. 

The strain was unbearable for some. The weaker ones had already retreated into themselves, desperately craving peace of mind. Others, however, burned with something else entirely—rage.