Necali exhaled contentedly, licked the dew off the morning grass, and silently stood up from the bushes. With the faint light of dawn, he looked around like a fierce beast, searching for his next target. Soon, the experienced scout’s gaze sharpened, and a look of pre-hunt excitement appeared on his face again.
"Hurry, eat up! There’s a squad of remnants outside the village to the northwest, let’s go devour them!"
Hearing this, several scouts looked towards the northwest together. One of them swallowed his food, glanced at his palm, and hesitated before asking.
"Chief, there are two palms of warriors there, and we have only one palm. This... we probably can’t beat them, can we?"
"No! Those Tarasco fugitives are just panicked rabbits, and we are Mexica cheetahs! Just one surprise attack, and the rabbits will scatter in panic like last night, falling prey to the cheetahs!"
While speaking, Necali narrowed his eyes and scrutinized carefully. A moment later, a raging fury rose in his heart. He spotted a familiar figure, wrapped in a rare headband, carrying a usual spear... The battle on Lake Yuriria came to mind again.
"Damn it, that cunning black fish, those cunning rabbits, they’re all still alive! Stop the noise, come on, follow me!"
Necali abruptly drew his war club and rushed towards the distant enemy. The scouts were stunned briefly, but soon drew their weapons and chased after their leader, attacking together.
"Ah! Mexica! Jaguar Warriors are catching up!"
The dark green war clothes suddenly appeared on the field, catching the Tarasco remnants’ eyes. The Scout Warriors ran swiftly, emitting terrifying howls. Even with a distance of a kilometer between them, the Tarasco militia were already plunged into chaos. About twenty dispersed militia turned to flee, and the rest were on the verge of collapse.
"Old man Qi, Jaguar Warriors are coming! Let’s go, we need to hurry!"
There was utter panic among the remnants, and Puap’s expression became frantic. He grabbed an old militiaman’s arm, urgently pressuring him.
Chiwaco felt uneasy internally, but his face still maintained composure. He tiptoed to get a better view in the distance, counting on his fingers.
"It’s impossible, how can Mexica run faster than rabbits! By the three gods, the enemy is more numerous than wolves! They actually have one, two, three, four, five... five... Eh?!"
The old militiaman paused, quickly counted his fingers again, then suddenly straightened up, pushed through the panicking Puap, and shouted loudly to his comrades.
"Fools, don’t panic! The enemy has only one palm, not Jaguar Warriors! We can fight them! Quick, get into formation, spear formation. Just like on the lake, just like at the rivermouth, get into formation and stab them dead!"
While speaking, the old militiaman swung his long spear around, hitting his disordered comrades with the blunt spear shaft. Weizti also joined in with six old comrades, kicking and punching to help. Very soon, over twenty militiamen equipped as Tarasco warriors hastily formed a spear formation; dozens of spear tips glinted coldly, facing the Mexica warriors rushing towards them.
Seeing the enemy in formation, Necali momentarily paused. He bit his teeth hard and deftly maneuvered to the sides, continuing to emit intimidating howls. The other scouts quickly caught up, circling the spear formation and occasionally swinging their war clubs.
Puap stood behind the spear formation, only now realizing the situation. He looked to the end of the plain, as no more enemies appeared, feeling a mix of shame and embarrassment. The brave Huitu warrior glanced at the old militiaman commanding the spear formation and then suddenly let out a roar, charging directly at the leading Necali.
The old militiaman in the formation observed for a moment, then commanded loudly.
"Left front, advance, stab!"
Nearly ten militiamen moved together to the left, thrusting their long spears, and managed to knock down a scout. The loose spear formation briefly scrambled. The remaining three elite scouts hesitated not a moment, immediately breaking into the gap and knocking down five or six militiamen with their strikes.
"Brothers, aim well, together, stab!"
Chiwaco continued to shout, leading with his spear, sharply stabbing a scout in the thigh. The scout immediately lost his balance, screaming in pain as he fell bleeding. The other six comrades, well-seasoned on the battlefield, covered by the militiamen, made precise thrusts. Within a couple of exchanges, two more scouts were laid on the ground.
"Surround them, help the warrior master!"
Chiwaco shouted again, and the remaining dozen militiamen swung their long spears, surrounding the already gaining Necali.
"Cowardly warriors! Damn rabbits!"
Necali swung his war club, emitting an angry roar. Under Chiwaco’s command, more Tarasco militiamen joined the battle. Puap took the opportunity to step back, gasping deeply and wiping the sweat from his forehead.
The bright long spears rapidly increased, gradually surrounding Necali. The seasoned warrior moved swiftly, desperately swinging his shield and club to block the militiamen’s thrusts, but his space to dodge grew increasingly tight. Finally, he let out a desperate tiger’s roar, looked towards Chiwaco’s direction, and desperately threw his bronze axe. But the opponent nimbly ducked and raised his shield, blocking it steadily like a turtle.
The fight lasted only a short while; a dozen copper spears quickly encircled Necali. The hunter became the hunted, and death loomed imminently. The seasoned scout angrily bit his lip, crying out unwillingly.