The sky began to darken rapidly as the clone army and the Roman cavalry withdrew.
The clone soldiers marched in an orderly manner while they cleaned the battlefield and withdrew to the military camp.
On the other hand, the Roman army on the city wall represented a chaotic scene.
The wounded soldiers lamented while a group of priests or healers tried to help them.
The Roman soldiers who had just been baptized by their first battle threw themselves to the ground while breathing with difficulty due to exhaustion.
The adrenaline of the first battle for many novices of the Roman army had ceased to be effective, and as a consequence many soldiers were extremely tired.
Some newly recruited Roman soldiers began to vomit upon seeing the area near the wall where the clone soldiers and Roman soldiers had fallen.
The Roman soldiers and clones who had fallen from the wall were dead or on the verge of death.
A fall of 10 meters could only have two results: a certain death or a slow and agonizing death.
The Roman soldiers and clones who had the opportunity to survive had various fractures or damaged organs.
The cries of pain could be heard around the wall of the city of Rome, creating a ghostly scene.
The Roman generals worked until midnight to organize the treatment of the wounded and to maintain the defense of the walls.
No Roman general could guarantee a possible attack during the night.
Norvanus and Carbo could not obtain an exact number of losses, but the quick count determined that almost half a Roman legion had perished in the siege battle.
The Roman generals did not know Septimus's losses, but due to the suicidal siege of the clone army it could be assumed that the casualties were not few.
Septimus was aware that 3,579 clone soldiers had died, including those who were severely wounded.
The clones were consumables for Septimus, and it was not necessary to invest effort in healing severely wounded clones.
The clone soldiers who cleaned the battlefield also had the task of giving a clean death to severely wounded clones and recovering their armor and weapons.
New clones would replace the position of the dead.
Septimus considered a complete suit of armor more valuable than the life of a clone soldier. Clones could be replenished indefinitely every week.
The siege lasted almost 12 hours,
The siege towers could only offer a small space to fight, which was one of the reasons why the casualties of both sides of the war did not exceed one legion.
The clone soldiers within the camp had their own tasks and functioned like the gears of a Swiss watch.
The discipline of the clone army would be considered unnatural in the modern era. The few people who had the opportunity to witness the clone army had the impression of seeing a true elite without equal.
While the camp of the clone army operated with strict discipline, a group of Roman cavalry soldiers approached.
The cavalry with Roman armor belonged to Sulla's army, and at the front was a military tribune carrying orders from Sulla.
The cavalry stopped at the gates of the camp.
"I come to deliver a message from General Sulla!" shouted the military tribune to the clone soldiers guarding the gate of the camp.
The gates of the camp opened, and the cavalry entered riding their horses.
The military tribune observed the silent camp with occasional groups of soldiers patrolling.
A normal army, after an intense twelve-hour battle, would be in a state of chaos, but the clone army acted as if they had not participated in a twelve-hour siege.
The military tribune did not continue paying attention to the situation of the camp and headed toward the main tent.
The clone soldiers did not stop the military tribune, but they did not allow the soldiers accompanying him to enter.
The military tribune frowned but said nothing and entered the tent.
The main tent was the place where the generals met and planned tactics.
The camp of the clone army had been built by Sulla's army, and all construction specifications met Roman military standards.
The military tribune presented a military salute and observed five men seated on chairs around a map of the city of Rome.
"General Sulla sent me to demand an explanation for the attack you launched," said the military tribune seriously.
Sulla had been a little annoyed at first, but he quickly calmed down and sincerely hoped that Septimus's legions would wear themselves down on the walls of the city.
Among all the people who wished to break the defenses of Rome, the most expectant was Sulla.
For several nights, when General Sulla slept, he could dream of the death of his friends and relatives at the hands of the supporters of Cinna and Marius. Revenge was one of Sulla's obsessions.
Sulla also distrusted Septimus's intentions; over time he had realized that the army in black armor had no nobles.
The centurions, tribunes, and generals of Septimus's army were clones, and from the perspective of Sulla and his generals, they were peasants who had appeared suddenly.
Many nobles and elites of Sulla's army were displeased by the situation of the clone army, with no recognized nobles in its ranks.
The five clones who fulfilled the function of generals within the clone army raised their heads and looked at the military tribune.
"We are the army of Septimus the impaler of heads, and we receive his orders," replied a clone general while looking at the tribune with indifference.
The military tribune frowned; his purpose was to observe the attitude of the generals of Septimus's army.
Sulla did not lose hope of assimilating Septimus's troops.
A disciplined army was a true treasure.
"If you launch an attack again, General Sulla expects to be informed in advance," said the military tribune.
"We will launch an attack again the next day," said a clone general while taking a sip of wine from his cup.
"You have already lost enough troops; it would be better to wait until new siege towers are rebuilt," replied the military tribune while frowning.
Although the military tribune did not witness the battle, the screams from the wall could be heard.
Many generals and soldiers of Sulla's army could hear the war cries and observe the white smoke from the burned towers.
The Roman army inside the city also began to burn their dead, causing a smell of burned flesh in the air, which caused gagging among the Roman soldiers who knew its origin.
"We do not fear casualties; General Septimus is heading to the city of Rome with three legions of reinforcements," said the clone general holding the cup of wine.
The military tribune was surprised by the sudden news.
Septimus, after massacring and looting the entire region of Campania, was able to gather enough Roman military equipment to add three legions.
The new three legions were equipped with standard military equipment that had been processed to change its appearance to the color black.
The basic clone military equipment had no advantage against the Roman army. The only difference was concentrated in the black color of the armor.
The military tribune took his leave upon hearing the news and withdrew quickly to inform Sulla.
It was surprising that Septimus, a simple wealthy elite, could gather five legions and, without giving any sign, had gathered three more legions.
The military strength that Septimus showed was surprising, and the military tribune had to inform Sulla.
The news quickly reached Sulla.
Sulla's reaction was one of surprise and seriousness.
Septimus's military power was almost comparable to his army.
Sulla felt some antipathy for Septimus's actions against the Scipio family.
On the other hand, Sulla's resentment toward the supporters of Cinna and Marius surpassed his antipathy toward Septimus.
The night passed quickly, and day arrived.
The Roman soldiers defending the city tensed up due to the possible repetition of a new siege.
The defenses of the city of Rome remained very tense until the afternoon.
The camp of the clone army showed no signs of mobilization.
The Roman army protecting the city relaxed when daylight was already fading and the camp of the clone army showed no signs of mobilization.
As night fell, the gates of the clone army camp slowly opened.
The Roman soldiers defending the city could not observe that far, and as a result they did not notice the mobilization of the clone army.
Thousands of soldiers in black armor left the camp and formed up.
Enormous ladders of 13 or 14 meters were carried by the soldiers in black armor.
The clone army with its black armor positioned itself in formation while holding hundreds of enormous ladders.
When the last group of clone soldiers took position, the entire clone army, like a black tide, began to walk slowly.
The steps of thousands of men resulted in a small tremor that did not go unnoticed by the Roman defenders.
The Roman soldiers became nervous because of the small tremor, and some descended from the city wall in fear.
Although Italy had volcanic activity and occasional tremors, the Romans were not completely accustomed to them nor did they fully understand them.
When the eruption of Mount Vesuvius occurred in 79 AD, described by Pliny the Younger, the small tremors that resulted were not understood as something normal, but were often interpreted as divine signs or omens.
The clone army camouflaged itself in the night with its black armor.
When the clone army was at 500 meters, its advance speed began to increase.
The clone soldiers ran carrying enormous ladders.
The Roman soldiers who protected the wall watched with horror as thousands of enemy soldiers approached the city wall.
"They are attacking us!" shouted a centurion loudly.
The centurion's shout awakened the Roman soldiers who were stunned by the sudden enemy attack.
The Roman soldiers on the city wall raised the alarm.
The sounds of the alarm horns on the city wall marked the beginning of another new bloody battle.