"Roar!"
The Jaguar warriors let out an intimidating roar. Cloaked in heavy armor, they swung their Obsidian Clubs with ease, knocking down the Canine warriors and slicing them into different shapes. The thick scent of blood dispersed in the wind, while the Canine warriors’ screams of agony continued ceaselessly.
The brutal close combat lasted but a moment before over eighty Canine warriors had fallen. They were unable to penetrate the heavy armor, and their combat skills were no match for their opponents, causing hardly any effective damage. The one-sided slaughter greatly demoralized them, and stray Canine warriors began to flee. Seeing this, the leading Canine warrior finally let out a wolf howl in despair, calling out,
"Aooo! Retreat!"
The surviving Canine warriors turned and fled, hurrying into the forest. The Jaguar warriors pursued the fleeing enemy, killing over twenty more until they reached the deep woods. Then, the sound of a trumpet halted them from beneath the Royal Banner, and the Messenger Officer waved the command flag toward the battle formation to their front-right. The battle group of two hundred nobles turned once again, heading toward the Canine hunters at the vanguard.
"Uman!"
Amoxtli growled again, almost pressing his mouth against Uman’s ear.
"Thick-skinned Tigers are coming up! It’s too late to run now!"
"Cactus Tribe’s Tiger warriors?"
Uman’s eyes were bloodshot as he intensely watched the small strides of the approaching Jaguar warriors. These warriors moved with steady steps and agile actions, their battle techniques polished and refined, treating the slaughter indifferently. They were dressed in thick Cotton Armor, with vibrant leopard skins draped on their backs, and beast-shaped heavy helmets on their heads, making them appear like ferocious beasts.
"Aooo! I’ll shoot you dead!"
Uman suddenly popped his head out and shot an arrow at one of the Jaguar warriors. The Bone Arrow streaked swiftly through the air, hitting the target’s shoulder from fifty paces away. The Jaguar warrior merely shook slightly, then let out a tiger roar and charged towards him.
"Damn it! All thick-skinned... Ah!"
Uman cried out in pain, dropped his longbow, and staggered back behind a large rock. A flash of an arrow whizzed past his cheek, striking his left arm harshly as he aimed his bow.
Amoxtli cautiously peeked out, only to see the leading Longbow warrior looking calm, his gaze sharp as a hawk’s, as he took another Copper Arrow in hand. He then checked Uman’s wound, noticing the arrowhead had penetrated deep into the flesh through the cotton armor, nearly an inch deep.
"I’m... fine... Shoot them dead!"
Uman was drenched in sweat from the pain, yet his eyes still glowered fiercely.
"Crack!"
Amoxtli forcefully snapped the exposed part of the arrow shaft. He took out a speckled mushroom from his pocket and stuffed it into Uman’s mouth.
"Swallow it, for the pain!"
Uman hesitated slightly but recognized it as the medium used for communicating with the spirits, the tribe priest’s hallucinogenic mushroom. He chewed and swallowed the mushroom, and within moments, his gaze became vacant and his mind chaotic, yet his body filled with strength.
"Uman, it’s time to retreat!"
"Eh?... Okay!"
Amoxtli asked briefly, hesitating no longer. He shouted to the red-haired hunters nearby.
"Covering fire! All shoot at the leading warrior! I’ll lead Captain Uman out first; you cover our retreat!"
The group of red-haired hunters exchanged looks, silently nodding their heads. They rose together and fired at the leading Cactus warrior.
Amoxtli, keeping a firm grip on Uman’s arm and lowering his body, led him toward the nearest woods. Soon, behind them, a large group of Jaguar warriors charged like tigers and leopards. The harsh cries of battle quickly turned into the woeful screams of the dying.
In the deep mountain forest, Amoxtli looked back. The Canine Hunters in the front lines were also scattering, fleeing in all directions. This risky ambush had left behind more than two hundred elite corpses, yet it had been in vain. The disparity between the strengths of the two sides was enormous, and the losses of the God of Death Great Chief’s trusted aides were few. Under the Black Wolf’s royal banner, a king clad in platinum armor was being guarded by the crowd, looking into the distance towards the mountain forest.
"Is this... the Great Chief himself?"
Amoxtli watched for a while but couldn’t make out anything clearly. He then looked at the Black Wolf’s emblem on the royal banner and a sense of familiarity surged in his heart. He paused for a moment, then suddenly realized.
"Yes! This totem has been consecrated with fresh blood by the Cactus Tribe and possesses mana, staring at it too long will disturb one’s mind and spirit!"
With that thought, Amoxtli shuddered, his sense of foreboding growing once again. He dared not look at the banner anymore and immediately pulled Uman to continue their escape to the camp in the mountain pass.
"Uman, let’s go!"
"Uh?... Okay!..."
Under the Black Wolf’s banner, Xiulote watched the fleeing soldiers disappear into the forest. He gazed at the shadowy mountain forest and after a brief thought, he gave a loud order.
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"Avoid the forest. Blow the conch, retreat!..."
The following two days were a peaceful standoff. The Canine Descendants holed up in their camp, fortifying their wooden fortress day and night, while the Mexica allied forces made camp to rest.
The camp in the mountains grew increasingly large, filled with warriors in armor everywhere. Scouts from both sides continuously clashed in the mountain forests on either side, staining the deep autumn woods red. Reinforcements kept arriving, with three regiments reuniting once more. Seven thousand Ottopan Warriors, four thousand Guamare Warriors, five thousand Imperial Guard Legionnaires, and three thousand Red Frog Warriors, nearly twenty thousand soldiers amassed here!
The army stretched for miles, various banners fluttering, stuffing the narrow mountain path to the brim. The last two thousand Pamus Warriors and two thousand Longbow Militia were still more than twenty miles away. They had just finished their rest and were en route.
The royal banner was erected, and Xiulote once again climbed the hill to oversee the battle. The army had rested for two days, and it was time to test the mettle of the Canine Descendants. He personally waved the command banner, and the thunderous beats of the war drums echoed through the valley. Though the mountain path here was not too narrow, its width was still limited. Thousands of allied soldiers successively left the camp to form battle lines, while the remaining warriors waited in the camp.
"Chalki Great Chieftain."
The king, with the army in his hands, was spirited and full of fighting intent.
"The Guamare Warriors have been conserving their strength all this way, they can be our vanguard!"
The middle-aged Chieftain Chalki hesitated slightly. Then, meeting the king’s gaze, a chill ran through him, and he boldly shouted.
"The Guamare Warriors have been waiting for the great battle and are desperately hungry for it! Great Chief, I will have my eldest son lead the troops and attack the enemy camp for you!"
"Good! Grant armor! For the general leading the charge!"
A trusted aide immediately stepped forward, handing a set of bronze-faced medium armor to Chalki. The middle-aged chieftain touched the sturdy copper armor emotionally, then reluctantly said to the warriors beside him.
"Give it to my eldest son! Let him fight valiantly for His Highness!"
"Thud thud thud!"
The intense war drums suddenly accelerated. Two thousand Guamare Warriors raised their shields and grasped their war clubs, forming a dense charging formation. Opposite them was the nearest mountain encampment of the Guajili people.
The camp occupied a slightly elevated position, located on a small hill about several meters high, surrounded by a fence tall enough to reach a person’s height. More than a thousand Guajili warriors were defending behind the fence, holding hunting bows and long spears. A Red Deer banner fluttered inside the camp.
"Roar, roar, charge!"
The young warrior clad in copper armor led the charge, fiercely roaring and leading two thousand warriors towards the camp!