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The autumn was in full swing, the sky high and the clouds cold. Shadows flickered in the mountain forests, withered leaves scattered in the breeze, and the earth was filled with a murderous aura.
Quino pursued his prey tirelessly, running like a hunting dog, straight into the depths of the woods. Along the way, three hundred Guamare samurai slaughtered the scattering Red Deer Tribe, gradually spreading out until only two hundred remained closely following behind. After a long chase, he finally saw the Red Deer chieftain’s footsteps falter. From more than a hundred steps away, the chieftain suddenly turned, gazing coldly back at him.
"Haha! The damned Red Deer savage finally can’t run anymore!"
Quino was overjoyed. His war armor was quite heavy, and he panted heavily from the continuous running. Now, seeing the prey right before his eyes, the valiant samurai summoned his remaining strength and charged with his war club raised high.
"Samurai, follow me and kill!"
"Aoow! Devour them! Aoow..."
With a war club in hand, the Red Deer chieftain pointed at Quino and shouted fiercely. A ghastly wolf howl then rose from the depths of the forest!
Quino was shocked, his war club pausing in his hand. Slowing his charge, he looked around and sweat began to break out on his back. From the secluded woods around him, five to six hundred Canine Descendants’ ambushers surged forth. They howled fiercely, lunging like a pack of wolves, at least two hundred with red hair! Despite the dense trees, these warriors moved at great speed. In just a few dozen breaths, dodging between dense foliage, Canine Descendants wielding stone hammers and long spears charged ferociously, ramming straight into the samurai’s formation!
Over five hundred howling Canine Warriors fought fervently against nearly two hundred Guamare samurai, entangling viciously and falling like dry branches. The heavy stone hammers crushed skulls with an audible snap of breaking bones; the sharp war clubs slashed through chests and necks, with blood spouting like fountains; now and then, stealthy bone arrows struck eye sockets, eliciting agonizing screams like those of a night owl!
"Haha, foolish Otomi dogs! The forest is our domain, let’s see how you escape!
The Red Monkey chieftain, Ozoma, laughed out loud. He had first hidden deep within the forest, directing the Canine Warriors to surround the enemy, then he ordered the red-haired Hunters to draw close and shoot their arrows, and finally dispatched two troops of warriors to block the approaching enemy samurai. After completing all of this, he cautiously emerged from behind the trees, guarded by dozens of long spears of the guard unit.
"Masate, you useless dull deer, once again I must come to your rescue!"
In the Nava language, Masate means a running wild animal, referring to the deer at this moment and, later on, also taking on the meaning of a horse. In the twenty-day calendar, Masate is the seventh day, symbolizing the alertness of wild animals.
"Hmph! Ozoma, I grew up in the mountains and am a red-haired Hunter of the forest! Had I not been luring the enemy, if I truly had fled with all my might, no one could have caught up to me!"
Masate, the Red Deer chieftain, leaned against a tree, panting slightly, his words sparing no one’s feelings.
"And you, why have you only just arrived now!"
"Ha, you still have the nerve to speak? We agreed you would hold out for at least half an hour, but look how long you lasted!"
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Ozoma curled his lips. He scanned the situation in the forest, his gaze settling on the fiercely fighting Quino. Then, a piercing conch horn sounded in the distance, and the Red Monkey Chieftain listened intently with a smile spreading across his face.
"Haha, that’s the Mexica retreat signal, but it’s already too late!"
Masate was momentarily speechless. He turned to summon his trusted aides, then looked at Ozoma.
"Ozoma, the Southern Tribe is ferocious, every man armored! I had hidden two hundred red-haired fighters in the forest, and yet they were routed in a single charge... Hmph! If it were you, you wouldn’t have held out any longer yourself!"
"Haha, I understand, I understand! In the end, you still care about your own warriors. Which real-hearted leader would be willing to throw his elite here?"
The Red Monkey Chieftain’s eyes were spirited, and he flashed a grin. Then, he patted the shoulder of the Red Deer Chieftain and pointed towards the frontline battle formation.
"That leading dog, how can he fight so fiercely? I’ve seen him taking so many spears and still hopping around. Could it be, this is the thick skin the scouts spoke of? I wonder what kind of armor he’s wearing..."
Masate followed the gesture and fire flashed in his eyes.
"Damn! It’s this guy, who broke my tribe’s banner and has been yapping after me like a hunting dog... Watch me shoot him dead!"
The Red Deer Chieftain turned and shouted to his aides.
"Bring me my Greatbow!"
"Masate, the warriors are mixed in close combat, using the Greatbow can easily cause friendly fire!"
Ozoma shook his head. He looked ahead, the forest floor littered with bodies. Under the attack of several hundred Canine Warriors, two hundred Guamare samurai had already suffered heavy losses. The remaining seventy or so were divided by the trees, grouped in small numbers and on the verge of collapse under the Canine onslaught.
Not far off, Quino led a small group of twenty trusted aides, forming a small shield formation, desperately holding their ground. His aides were all peppered with arrows, with only Quino still fighting fiercely. And at the edge of the forest expanse, hundreds of Guamare samurai were trying to break through the blockades, desperate to fight their way forward.
"We need to finish this quickly! Hmm, guard unit forward, use the long spears to target the warriors’ legs! Right, Zucata, remember to spare that warrior’s life!"
Guard unit leader Zucata bowed in acknowledgment. He spoke with a hushed voice, but his accent differed from the Canine Descendants, clearly of a Southern dialect. Quickly, over thirty guards of the Chieftain formed a dense formation, each holding the long spears rarely seen among Canine Descendants. Under Zucata’s command, the spear formation advanced quickly, nearing the struggling Quino. The Red Monkey warriors along the way made way for them obediently.
Masate watched from the corner of his eye and caught sight of the gleaming spear tips overlapping in succession, much like a prickly hedgehog. With a flash of doubt, he asked quietly.
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