The sun slowly began to set in the west, and a gentle breeze dispersed the smoke and dust. The mountains cast giant shadows, and in the wind was the sweet, tallic scent of blood. The Arican eagles, attracted by the enticing aroma, occasionally swooped down, only to be startled into flight by the movents of the samurai. These New World scavengers differed from the Old World vultures; they were more impetuous, possessed sharper beaks, and especially favored the bodies of the freshly slain that had yet to decay.
Black Wolf Torc arrived at the vanguard’s camp, his expression stern, saying nothing. He simply unfurled his Commander’s flag and thrust it into the formation. The flag slamd "bang" into the soil, standing solidly unmoved. Then, he turned his eyes to the front, where several Arican eagles were circling the battlefield above the corpses of the vanguard’s barbarians.
Torc’s expression turned icy as he raised his longbow, squinting his eyes. With a brief aim, he fired an arrow into the sky, and one of the eagles plumted to the ground. The Arican eagles in the mountains were startled, all flying away at once, their "squawk squawk" cries echoing through the valleys, haunting as mournful wails.
"The bird shooter!..."
A low cheer imdiately rose from among his personal army. Black Wolf looked around; the samurai of the vanguard camp remained composed, their fighting spirit high. However, they had been fighting for half the day and were sared with smoke, showing signs of fatigue.
"Warriors! The War God watches over you! You are the glorious Royal Family’s Imperial Guards!"
Torc slowly lowered his longbow, his voice loud and encouraging.
"...His Highness will arrive soon! The army has been unstoppable on its march northward! We are ferocious Jaguars, are we going to let these mongrel dogs block our path?!"
"Roar!"
Upon hearing this, the vanguard samurai’s eyes flashed with killing intent, a low roar emanating from the formation.
"Imperial Guards! I plant the flag here! I hold the longbow in my hand!"
Black Wolf grasped the flag with one hand and raised the longbow with the other, bellowing loudly.
"I will attack with you! I will fall with you!!"
"Roar! Roar! Kill!"
Two thousand warriors roared in unison, heads tilted back, their morale surging with a thunderous beastly roar.
Not far from the encampnt, Keka’s expression was solemn. He clutched his Hunting Bow, carefully observing the leader beneath the flag.
"Damn it! Who is that?!"
"Chieftain, he must be Black Wolf! The Great Chief of the God of Death’s Great Tribe, commanding the eight thousand warriors of the center!"
"Oh?!"
Keka’s eyes widened, a hint of contemplation flickering briefly. However, before he could think for long, the dreadful sound of war drums erupted from below the encampnt!
"Dong dong dong!"
Led by Black Wolf himself, the two thousand n of the vanguard pressed on in full force! Within monts, the vanguard reached about a hundred paces from the encampnt. One thousand Temple Crossbown imdiately halted, raised their crossbows, and fired vigorously at the encampnt.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The crossbow arrows rained down like a storm, fiercely striking the wooden planks, pinning down the hunters on the walls. Keka ducked and turned to shout at his escorts.
"Quick! Order the warriors to charge!"
Soon, three hundred able-bodied Canine Descendants cried out as they charged from the encampnt, only to be t with a hail of arrows. Dozens of n were felled by crossbow bolts, their cries turning into wails, and the Canine Descendants’ charge stalled.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The deadly crossbow arrows ca in waves, and the unarmored n, once hit, were dood to et their ancestors. Under the cover of crossbow bolts, the vanguard advanced within sixty paces.
Torc halted his advance and raised his longbow. Squinting his eyes, he took quick aim and released a powerful shot! The copper arrow was incredibly accurate, piercing through a neck, cutting through the windpipe, and spraying out vivid red. A Canine Descendant warrior abruptly stopped shouting, covered his neck with "heh heh" gasps, and fell.
Black Wolf did not pause, taking down three n in quick succession. Wearing half armor of copper and a face-covering copper helt, he stood at the center of the formation, not avoiding any attacks. Beside him stood eighty longbow escorts, also clad in dium armor, all drawing their bows to shoot together.
"Swish swish swish!"
The precise feathered arrows were aid at the wall, felling over a dozen tribal huntsn. The vanguard had pushed within forty paces! Nine hundred vanguard barbarians, shouting fervently, began to ascend the slope, charging towards the encampnt!
"Swish swish swish!"
Hundreds of red-haired hunters peeked from behind the wooden planks and began firing desperately at the forces below. At this range, the Guajili’s archery was incredibly precise! Dozens of vanguard barbarians were struck in the head and neck, rolling down the slope.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
The sharp crossbow bolts whistled through the air, taking down over a dozen more hunters. The vanguard warriors did not halt their advance, moving up the blood-strewn slope lined with bodies, and engaged in close combat with the Canine Descendants who had charged from the encampnt.
The battle beca increasingly fierce. While the seasoned red-haired hunters were able to maintain their composure, the ordinary tribal huntsn were nearly driven mad. They recklessly exposed themselves, braving incoming crossbow bolts to fire arrows downwards, striking down both Canine Descendants and barbarians alike.
"Swish swish swish!"
The narrow slope was a scene of extre carnage! Canine Descendants and barbarians were stabbing each other, bodies entwined as they fell. Blood flowed freely from victims below, who emitted dying wails before being silenced under the trample. Fresh warriors continuously replaced the fallen, continuing the bloody lee.
"Hit the target!"
Toltec squinted his eyes and let out a sudden low growl. With one shot, an arrow pierced the head of a tribal huntsman. He quickly nocked another arrow and with a slight shift in aim, swiftly released another.
From atop the watchtower, a red-haired hunter had just peeked out from behind a wooden plank, preparing to shoot downward when suddenly a sharp pain struck his neck, plunging his vision into darkness. The red-haired hunter instantly lost all strength and tumbled down from the rampart, his body drenched in red.
Black Wolf, with his longbow escort, precisely picked off the tribal huntsn, clearing the high watchtowers. Soon, the red-haired hunters caught on.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Hundreds of bone arrows flew rapidly, striking the copper armor of the escorts and making a "thud thud" sound. Many bone arrows pierced through the cloth and were subsequently blocked by the bronze plates, fruitlessly embedding themselves onto the armor clothes. From a distance, the armor clothes looked like a porcupine’s quills draped over the escorts. Faced with such thick-skinned adversaries, the red-haired hunters viciously aid for vital spots. Feathered arrows ca like a fierce torrent, clanging against the bronze helts, yet only two escorts were injured.
"Whiz whiz whiz!"
Sharp crossbow bolts split the sky, once again pinning themselves onto the rampart wall. A dozen exposed red-haired fell with muffled groans. Keka felt a pang in his heart. He looked at the longbow escorts who didn’t fall despite being hit by dozens of arrows and roared in anger.
"Ah! What is this? Why can’t they be killed!"
"Chieftain, the Red Fox scouts have ntioned, these are the Cactus Tribe’s thick-skinned warriors! They wear thick skin and can withstand hundreds of arrows without dying!"
The red-haired trusted aide Miwa ca forward and explained.
"What? Thick skin? What kind of witchcraft is this!"
Keka widened his eyes, carefully observing the encampnt in front of him, but he couldn’t make out the details right away.
The fierce fighting had been raging for a quarter. The three hundred able-bodied n who had left the encampnt had no retreat, and nearly all of them had perished. Large groups of Cactus warriors were fervently shouting as they gradually charged up the slope. Braving the storm of arrows, they approached the rampart walls, soon to climb over. Although the rear encampnt’s walls were slightly higher at only two ters, they couldn’t possibly withstand the charge.
"Miva, how many are conscripted for the second wave of charging warriors?"
Keka asked urgently. The battle was critical; the first thousand had been nearly spent.
"About six hundred or more. They have been issued shields and long spears! More are still being conscripted…"
"Divide them into two large groups! Add a hundred Red Frog warriors to each as the core, and hurry out of the camp to confront the enemy! We cannot let the Aztec climb over the walls!"
"Your orders, valiant Chieftain!"
"Right, have the escort wearing my Wolf Robe and carrying the flag, move forward! Assign twenty warriors bearing great shields to protect him. Yes, let him boost the morale of our warriors and also attract enemy arrows!"
"Your orders, cunning Chieftain!"
The drumming of the charge grew more intense, and the bone whistle sounds of the Canine Descendants beca even shriller. Monts later, four hundred tribal warriors surged out of the encampnt, clashing fiercely again with the vanguard barbarians on the slope. Then, the Chief wrapped in the Wolf Robe and carrying the Red Frog flag actually ca near the rampart oneself. Instant cheers erupted from the Canine Descendants above the encampnt!
"Eh! This Red Frog Chieftain is indeed a warrior worth admiring!"
Toltec, noticing the moving flag, paused slightly. He nodded with respect and without hesitation, let loose a swift shot!
"Whoosh!"
The copper arrow, swift as lightning, struck the shield below the flag, forcing the brave warrior wrapped in the Wolf Robe to step back. Then, dozens of feathered arrows simultaneously assaulted! The warrior, in fright, fell to the ground and shrunk behind the shield and escorts, like a small boat in a tempest.
"Temple crossbown, step forward twenty paces, aim close and shoot!"
After firing another volley, Toltec verified that the longbow couldn’t penetrate the wooden shield. He imdiately waved the command flag, calling the crossbown to advance. On the slope, Canine Descendants and barbarians were once again engaged in a ghastly slaughter. Tribal huntsn desperately shot arrows, constantly killing the barbarians below, only to be shot dead by distant archers in turn.
"Whiz whiz whiz!"
The crossbown, panting heavily, struggled to release a volley of arrows. The piercing crossbow bolts whistled through the air, tearing through the Red Cat flag, shattering the protective wooden shields, and injuring the surrounding escorts!
Toltec watched carefully for a mont. No figure erged from behind the shield. He couldn’t tell if the Chieftain wearing the Wolf Robe was dead. But given the quiet reaction inside the encampnt, it seed the goal was not entirely achieved.
"Truly tenacious warrior!"
Black Wolf felt a slight sentint, disappointingly shook his head. He once again raised his longbow, shooting out an arrow with force, and nailed another red-haired dead!
"Whiz whiz whiz! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Keka widened his eyes, hiding behind the rampart wall. Feathered arrows and crossbow bolts flew over his head, pinning down one escort after another under the flag. Before long, the red-haired trusted aide Miwa arrived with a somber expression.
"Chieftain, the escort wearing your Wolf Robe, has been shot dead!"
Keka’s pupils constricted. He looked toward Black Wolf, casting arrows like shooting stars, as if seeing the specter of death himself. The Red Frog Chieftain pondered for a while and then ordered in a low voice.
"Quick, find another escort to put on my Wolf Robe! Rember, to attract enemy arrows, stack several layers of shields!"
"Your orders, sly Chieftain!"
Keka nodded. To the Canine Descendants in the wilderness, deceit and cunning were all praise. They had fought for survival for generations, striving hard to adapt to the harsh environnt, dismissing faith and honor. Therefore, when faced with the new gunpowder weapons, they would swiftly seek counterasures, rather than viewing them as divine intervention as their southern kin might, or even giving up resistance.
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