Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

The Tlaxcala warriors of White Snake City, struggling for months, have borne the despair of lacking food and assistance. Yet now, the hope of victory finally appears before their eyes, like the vast bonfires outside the Mexica main camp!

"Vast bonfires?!"

White Snake Warrior Leader Sarte, carrying a greatbow and holding a war club, rushed to the forefront of the camp. Ahead, dozens of steps away, the bright bonfires almost illuminated half the camp. Sarte paused slightly, his pace slowing. Instinctively, he felt a foreboding—a keen awareness of danger and hostility, honed by years as a veteran warrior.

"Huh?! This situation seems off..."

"Cloud Serpent protect us! Kill the Mexica!"

Those participating in the night raid were the elite warriors of the city, all embracing a do-or-die courage. At this point in the night raid assault, success or failure hinged on an instant, leaving no room for reversal! Hundreds of White Snake warriors raised their war clubs, unleashing their final shouts, then charged into the main camp without pause.

"Whiz, whiz whiz!... Whiz whiz whiz!..."

Even as the last cries echoed, a dense rain of arrows suddenly appeared before them, bringing the howling of death!

A thousand Imperial Guards crossbowmen and two thousand legion archers emerged from behind the camp walls simultaneously, rapidly shooting deadly copper feathered arrows at the hundreds of exposed Tlaxcalan warriors in the firelight. In mere moments, dying wails resounded outside the encampment! The large group of White Snake warriors fell like autumn-harvested beans, collapsing into a field of corpses. The intense scent of blood instantly spread, symbolizing the arrival of the God of Death.

"Chief Divine protect us! Fight for the gods! Block them, don't let them escape!"

The shooting outside the camp gate continued, while louder cries of slaughter suddenly erupted near the trenches behind. White Snake Warrior Leader Sarte lay on the ground, suddenly turning back. In the faint firelight, he saw a large group of Mexica warriors, appearing like coyotes pouncing out of the dark, biting the tail of the long snake. The Mexica 'coyotes' revealed their sharp 'copper claws,' plunging the terrified Tlaxcala warriors into utter despair.

"God of the Hunt, we... we... are the hunted deer, falling into the Mexica's trap!"

White Snake Warrior Leader Sarte clenched his teeth, looking back and forth. He looked at the bodies of his fallen comrades beside him and the figures falling behind, his heart bleeding. These were the elite main forces of the city, and if they were all lost here, in White Snake City...

"Enough! Perhaps without these two thousand warriors, the city can hold out a bit longer!..."

Sarte lowered his eyes, a determination to die arising in his heart. Originally, White Snake Hill City had fifteen thousand people, including four thousand warriors, six thousand militia, and five thousand old, weak, women, and children, with food reserves for a year. After eight months of siege, less than eleven thousand remained, with over six months of food reserves left. The loss of these four thousand people, aside from the hundreds of warriors and militiamen who died in battle, mostly resulted from executing and sacrificing the old, weak, and children.

"Their taste... so sour and bitter, I don't want to taste it again..."

For the nobility in the city, slaughtering the humble moth citizens, or even executing their own slaves, carried no psychological burden. Doing so not only reduced the number of mouths to feed but also increased food reserves. Of course, this kind of food was usually allocated to the warriors. Similarly, if the Mexica drove the old and weak outside into the city, it wouldn't consume the city's food but rather supplement it. The cruelty of these war-torn times is unimaginable to the peaceful generations that followed.

"The city-state is the land beneath us, the Divine Descendants are the sky above us. And the ferocious Aztecs are the fire burning from the west! Now the land is covered with flames, the sky is filled with smoke and dust. I am in the abyss of despair; since I have been defeated, what more is there to say?... Only death, offered to the Divine!"

Amidst the bonfires, feathered arrows, and screams, White Snake Warrior Leader Sarte lowered his eyes, reciting his final dirge, though no one heard or recorded it. Then, he took a deep breath, discarded the greatbow from his back, gripped his shield and war club tightly, and let out a beastly roar, charging toward the camp in front!

"Whiz!... Thud! Thud thud!"

A feathered arrow came, blocked by the shield. Then more followed, still blocked by the battle-hardened White Snake Warrior Leader. He ran swiftly, reaching the camp gate in moments, raising the war club in his hand. However...

"Swish swish swish!..."

Over a dozen armored crossbowmen had their strings set, simultaneously aiming at the warrior before the camp gate. Then, pulling their triggers, over a dozen sharp crossbow arrows were released, striking White Snake Warrior Leader Sarte at a distance of merely a dozen steps!

"Thud!... Squelch! Squelch!"

White Snake Warrior Leader Sarte stood frozen, like a straw sack pierced through, a mask of suppressed agony and an inexplicable relief appearing on his face. The shield on his left arm was pierced by the close-range crossbow arrows, and four feathered arrows had deeply embedded in his right side, piercing into his chest and lungs.

"... Cough cough... Ugh... Haha!"

After the final coughing of blood and laughter, the White Snake Warrior Leader fell to the ground lying up. He gazed at the starry, moonlit night sky, eyes wide open, perishing in battle here. In his last moment before death, he had but one question, unwilling to know, yet knowing the answer.

"After my death, who will eat my wife and daughter left in White Snake City?"

The fighting outside White Snake City continued through the night. The flickering firelight and boiling cries of anguish and shouts also lasted through the night. City Lord Tizat of White Snake City stood atop the city wall, anxiously gazing outwards. His heart gradually sank, sinking into endless darkness, much like a nightmare and future already predestined.