Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!
Chapter 721 - 386: Rebellion, The Battle of Kulamo City

Chapter 721: Chapter 386: Rebellion, The Battle of Kulamo City

Flames blazed in front of the Temple, thick smoke drifted across the city, and the intense killing had been ongoing for two days and two nights. The rebellious Militia had occupied most of the city, and thousands of civilians had already fled. On the city walls, the flags of the three divinities and the Zicao Family stood erect, just like in the era of the Tarasco Kingdom. And when the sunrise rose once again, all the colors within Kulamo City were revealed. At this moment, the pearl of Atoyac Lake was stained bright red with the fierceness of battle.

In the city’s center, blood flowed down from the Akatla Pyramids, over ten meters high, and gathered into shallow streams. The veteran Etalik, dressed in Heavy Armor, sat calmly atop the pyramid in the Temple of the Chief Divine, munching slowly on a corn cake in his hand.

The Temple of the Chief Divine had been recently renovated, and one could faintly discern the remnants of the three divinities’ murals. However, the symbol of the Hummingbird Sun stood erect in the center, the highest Chief Divine suppressing all remnants of the old gods. Beneath the symbol of the Chief Divine, a Mexica War Priest, holding the Book of Ama Colley, chanted the Chapters of holy war aloud, buoying the Samurai’s morale.

The generals were calm and confident, the Priests devout and fearless. Under their influence, the more than five hundred Mexica Samurai stationed at the pyramid were settled. Relying on the sturdy pyramid, they were divided into three layers of defense.

The outermost layer consisted of four hundred Samurai, shield and spear in hand, forming a defensive formation suitable for guarding the middle part of the pyramid. Above them were over a hundred Archers, gripping Longbows in groups of three to five, occupying positions with excellent lines of sight to precisely shoot down enemy warriors. Caught off guard, the Archers did not have enough Arrows and couldn’t shoot at will.

At the very top were forty elite Samurai clad in Cloth Heavy Armor, each wielding a great axe, resting and storing energy. When a side of the pyramid suffered a fierce assault from the enemy’s elite, and the situation became dire, they would rush down from the top, scattering and crushing the enemy with an unstoppable force!

As the early sun rose, there was quiet for just a moment before the sounds of slaughter rose again. Engulfing smoke rose from the base of the pyramid, blackening both sides’ warriors but effectively obstructing the Archers’ vision.

Five to six hundred Kulamo Militia, under the leadership of over a hundred Zicao warriors, climbed up from the south, struggling to make a difficult assault on the pyramid. They thrust their Long Spears upward but were easily blocked by the Mexica warriors. Then, from above, Copper Spears whist right down, piercing the heads and necks of the Militia, bringing up great spurts of bright red!

"Whoosh, whoosh!"

A large number of stone-throwing Kulamo gathered close to the pyramid, hurling stones from below that struck the Mexica warriors’ Cotton Armor and shields, occasionally hitting a warrior’s cheek, causing excruciating pain. The warriors were terribly annoyed but always followed the general’s orders, steadfastly holding their ground on the pyramid and not attacking.

"Swoosh, swoosh!"

The Mexica Archers observed for a moment and, through the smog, shot out dozens of scattered Feathered Arrows. Over a dozen Zicao warriors hidden among the Militia let out wails as they were grievously wounded or killed. The precious Arrows couldn’t be squandered on the grass-like stone-throwing Kulamo.

Hundreds of lives were sacrificed in front of the Temple of the Chief Divine, and the stream atop the pyramid was replenished once again, slowly flowing down the stone steps, making the ascent even more difficult. The Zicao Family’s assault continued for a quarter of an hour but never managed to breakthrough, only leaving behind more bodies.

In the blood and fire of the battle, old Etalik finished his cake. He stood up, looked down from his high position, and glanced at the battle on the south side of the pyramid, nodding his head. The battle line was stable, and it was not yet time to utilize the Heavy Armor warriors.

The Kingdom’s Copper Armor production had gradually increased, and each main general had acquired a group of Armored trusted aides numbering around several dozen. These elite Armored Warriors served to protect the generals and were utilized in critical assaults. As a veteran of the Alliance, Etalik had been given fifty expensive sets of Copper Armor, only to lose ten sets in a recent attack.

Thinking of this, old Etalik was incredibly angry.

Two days ago, he was attacked by an assassin from the Zicao Family. The attacker, claiming to be a descendant of a minor nobility, presented three letters of conspiracy regarding Prepetcha’s plans for rebellion. After he read them, he found the language vague and interspersed with various Tarasco glyphs, so he summoned the man for a detailed inquiry.

Who would have known, the man, seemingly timid, was actually stubbornly fierce. He suddenly erupted in an attack, one of the trusted aides was scratched on the arm and instantly died from the poison. Luckily, Etalik was clad in arm-guard Heavy Armor and skilled in Martial Arts, he swiftly drew his Copper Sword and quickly killed the attacker. Afterward, looking at the spots of blue Frog Poison on the Cloth Armor, his heart skipped a beat.

"The rebellion of the Zicao Family must have been long in planning! May the Chief Divine protect us, may our ancestors protect us, and let’s hope His Highness is unharmed!"

Etalik looked toward the north and prayed devoutly for a moment.

Shortly after the assassination attempt, thousands of rebellious militia and samurai appeared in Kulamo City. With the help of collaborators inside, they launched a surprise attack on Etalik’s camp.

At least half of the two hundred newly conscripted Prepetcha samurai in the camp participated in the rebellion. They shouted slogans like "The barbarian King of Mexica has been assassinated, the Royal Family of Tarasco is about to be restored," and surrounded the area from all sides. Many residents of Kulamo City also joined in, some guiding the rebels, some providing them with food, and even some joining the battle.

Thinking of this, rage, along with some regret, rose in Etalik’s eyes.

"After disbanding the militia, I shouldn’t have conscripted two hundred Prepetcha samurai! An enemy within is the most dangerous. Everyone in Kulamo City is a traitor! When the King’s grand army arrives, I must suggest to His Highness: all the traitors in the city should either be sacrificed or demoted to slaves!"

Left intact after the campaign to the west, Zicao County to the south maintained its towns and villages largely intact. Excessive remnants of nobility, the slow spread of faith, and the people, having never witnessed the might of the Mexica legion, still held illusions about the old Tarasco regime. The Kingdom’s rule here was not stable, which is why Etalik recommended to His Majesty to go south and reorganize.

A legion of a thousand Mexica samurai was attacked by the rebellious Zicao Family, suffering over three hundred casualties and then being surrounded by the rebellious militia and residents. The veteran Etalik made a quick decision, leading the six hundred or so remaining samurai in a desperate charge, breaking through the enemy besieging the Chief Divine Temple and seizing the central pyramid in the city.

There was enough food and water inside the Chief Divine Temple to last the people three days, and more than fifty steadfast Temple Guards joined them. Although these Temple Guards were of Prepetcha origin, they were extremely loyal to the Alliance. This loyalty was not just because of religious faith—because their fate was already tied to the Temple—once the three-God rebellious took the city, they would have nothing but death to face!

"Only samurai who devoutly believe in the Chief Divine are trustworthy and good warriors."

Etalik murmured to himself. The spread of faith was crucial to the stability of the Kingdom’s rule.

Under his command, the six hundred plus Mexica samurai and the Temple Guards held the pyramid with the advantage of the terrain, defending it to the death. Once free from the initial surprise attack and the chaos of close combat, the full combat power of the Mexica samurai could be unleashed. In two days of fighting, the warriors only suffered a little over a hundred casualties but killed more than five hundred enemies. By now, the rebellious Zicao Family had lost its edge, and it was likely that most of their elite had been exhausted. The samurai holding the Temple faced their greatest threat yet—the impending exhaustion of food and water.

"Guramo, the head of the Zicao Family, the leader of the rebels."

The veteran Etalik watched with a solemn expression down at the base of the pyramid.

The Zicao Family’s banner was erected beyond the reach of longbow shots. Beside the banner, a handsome warrior leader, donned in copper armor, was watching the defending army atop the pyramid. Then, he spoke a few commands to his trusted aides around him, and over a thousand Kulamo militia regathered on the east, west, and north sides. On the south side, where the warrior leader stood, nine copper-armored elites led more than two hundred leather-armored warriors, making their final preparations.

"Ha ha! Guramo, the warriors are short of food and water, and yet you are so impatient, committing all your elites."

Etalik ignored the imminent attack, a smile forming on his lips.

"Praise the Chief Divine! It seems that His Highness is safe and sound, and reinforcements are about to arrive!"