Having won a victory at Thermopylae and stopping the Persian hordes at the Delphic Passes, the Spartans only delayed the cruel revenge of the king of kings. Their courage is still able to withstand the onslaught of the barbarians. But, fighting off more and more new attacks, Leonid understands: in order to win the unequal struggle, he cannot do without a powerful weapon, the secret of which the gods gave to Gisander. And now Taras is sailing back to Sparta to create new ballistas there, to replace the lost ones, and to return before everything is lost. Meanwhile, Xerxes, enraged by such a long resistance of an insignificant handful of Greeks, lands a huge landing party in their rear. Thousands of Persians, disembarking from their ships, approach the capital of Attica, wanting to avenge the victory at Marathon. And Xerxes is already close to his goal. Ancient Athens is burning, the Greek world is collapsing. But he still has hope, as long as at least one Spartan is alive...