Rome.
The news of Septimus's threat against the Senate spread rapidly, and the entire city and the Senate were alarmed.
Ten legions were preparing in the region of Campania.
A terrifying number of legionaries.
The number of legionaries in a legion ranged between 4,000 and 6,000 men.
Septimus's ten legions represented the terrifying number of more than 40,000 men.
The senators of Rome were unaware that Septimus kept each legion at a strength of 5,000 men.
On the other hand, regardless of the exact number of soldiers in a legion, the sheer number of legions was enough to alarm a great number of nobles among Rome's upper class.
The formation and monthly expense of a Roman legion were burdens that were difficult for any noble to bear.
The monthly expense of ten legions could drive a great number of nobles into bankruptcy, yet Septimus threatened to raise ten legions and march them against Rome.
The senators who had voted against Septimus's demands fully understood the magnitude of raising and spending the money required to form ten legions, and consequently also believed that Septimus was merely boasting.
The senators and nobles who took Septimus's threat seriously and the nobles who treated him as a braggart during conversations within their social circles could be clearly distinguished by the expressions on their faces.
The senators and nobles who displayed disdainful, proud, or calm expressions naturally believed that Septimus was boasting.
The nobles or senators with worried expressions who were mobilizing their slaves to pack their belongings and leave the city represented the people who believed Septimus's threat.
The threat of ten legions might not have been entirely true, but even five would have been enough to alarm all of Rome.
One must not forget the thousands of veteran legionaries from Sulla's legions who were still within the city.
The city of Rome had become a powder keg on the verge of exploding.
Meanwhile, in the region of Campania, the situation was developing contrary to the expectations of many senators.
The clone army quickly formed into groups and methodically distributed weapons.
The clone legionaries deployed mechanically in deathly silence throughout different barracks scattered across the entire region of Campania.
When the clones were in the presence of ordinary people, they pretended to be normal, but in the presence of other clones, their behavior resembled soulless machines.
With a single thought from Septimus, the clone legions stationed in different warehouses and barracks throughout the region of Campania prepared themselves in an orderly manner.
Three days passed quickly.
Thousands of legionaries wearing Roman-style military equipment, but distinguished by the color black, marched in orderly formation along the Appian Way.
From the region of Campania to the city of Rome, the journey on foot took five days.
An army with thousands of men and hundreds of supply wagons could take ten days.
The clone army could easily maximize the efficiency of the march and complete it in seven or eight days, but Septimus was in no hurry to force the march.
The current city of Rome had no possibility of assembling an army capable of confronting the clone legions.
The caravans traveling along the Appian Way were the first to witness the imposing black army.
Unlike the Roman veterans who had been heading toward Rome a few days earlier,
the clone army advanced in disciplined formation like an army marching to war.
All of the clone legionaries' military equipment displayed complete uniformity, and their serious and determined expressions created an atmosphere of tension.
The dust raised by the march of thousands of soldiers formed a cloud that could easily be seen from half a kilometer away.
The only sounds coming from the clone army were the footsteps of their march and the beating of the drums that marked the marching rhythm.
A centurion carrying a standard adorned with three decapitated heads led the way for each legion.
The astonished and terrified merchants withdrew or hid upon seeing the clone army.
Two days later, the news quickly arrived through messengers riding swift horses.
The senators spent most of their time in Rome, but they owned estates and mansions scattered throughout the surrounding areas of Rome.
Dozens of senators received news of the imminent arrival of Septimus and his legions.
The news was delivered through mounted messengers sent from their estates or mansions near the Appian Way.
Septimus's exaggerated threat, considered by more than half of the senators to be nothing more than a joke, quickly became reality.
Chaos rapidly took hold of Rome.
> "Shocking! The Roman Civil War is about to erupt once again! The Senate and Septimus begin a confrontation over the issue of piracy in the Mediterranean!" a newspaper vendor shouted in the street to the entire crowd.
> "The Roman Senate announces the recruitment of male citizens between the ages of 17 and 45 to form an army; all men must gather at the Forum within three days."
The front page was almost completely filled with news of wars and massacres, and the newspaper objectively analyzed the strength of both sides, concluding that Rome had little chance of resisting.
Rome was now a great city with a population exceeding 800,000 inhabitants, of whom nearly 200,000 were men. The Senate could easily recruit 100,000 soldiers from Rome, assuming it had enough weapons.
After reading that day's *Roman Newspaper*, countless Roman citizens hurled insults at the Senate of Rome.
Septimus wanted to put an end to piracy in the Mediterranean and needed ships and the support of all the Roman provinces throughout the Mediterranean, but the Senate refused without giving much explanation.
Consequently, a brutal war was about to occur.
The origin of the war began with the Senate's refusal to put an end to the pirates.
The citizens of Rome were outraged.
Even the veterans of Sulla's legions who were in the city became even angrier with the Senate after learning the news.
In less than ten years, Rome had already endured two massacres and one civil war. What had become of Rome?
But life had to go on, and some Roman citizens found themselves forced to prepare for battle. The entire city was engulfed in an intense atmosphere of war.
Septimus's black legions had a reputation for being ruthless.
The outraged Roman people also did not forget those responsible for Rome's current situation.
The senators who had voted against eliminating the pirates in the Mediterranean found themselves facing a mob that constantly harassed their mansions.
Stones and rotten fruit rained down upon the homes of the senators who had opposed Septimus most vehemently.
Inside a luxurious mansion.
Lucullus, Crassus, Catulus, Hortensius, and a large group of nobles gathered to discuss the current situation.
"The situation has escalated beyond control," Crassus said with a dignified expression.
Septimus's threat had turned out to be a warning directed at the Senate of Rome.
Septimus was a unique figure within the entire Roman upper class.
From being the owner of a small bakery in Capua to becoming an important figure capable of leading ten legions to pressure Rome.
Septimus's rise to power had not involved much assistance from the great noble families.
With the exception of the Scipio family, who were betrayed by Septimus and became the fertilizer for his growth.
Most of Septimus's military achievements were due to his incredible ability to lead troops, train them, and motivate them to fight in bloody battles.
The Roman nobles who were not particularly close to the Scipio family did not show much disdain toward Septimus for betraying the Scipio family.
The board of power in the political struggle is filled with countless betrayals committed in the pursuit of reaching the top.
From close relatives to lovers of many years and friends since childhood.
Politics in Rome is a game of power, and reaching the top is the greatest dream of countless nobles and equestrians in Rome.
Lucullus and the group of nobles from Sulla's former faction gathered to decide how to deal with Septimus.
The thousands of veteran legionaries of Sulla who remained in the city of Rome had not completely retired.
Not all of the veterans had adapted to or possessed the ability to manage their farmland, and a large percentage of them were bankrupt with nowhere to go.
With Septimus's ten legions marching toward Rome, Lucullus contemplated the idea of winning Septimus over and becoming the next Dictator for Life.
The office of Dictator for Life had become well known during Sulla's rule, but it was undeniable that many Roman nobles longed to occupy that position.