Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

Xiulote stood resolutely on the flagship's divine altar, his expression solemn and serious. He was dressed in full regalia, his head adorned with a dazzling feather crown, and behind him, a large flag was planted on the high platform. At this moment, the Young Commander swallowed imperceptibly as he gazed at the even larger fleet opposite him.

"Bertade, tell me, is this battle a bit too risky for me?"

Xiulote slightly tilted his head, looking towards the Head Warrior beside him, with a hint of nervousness.

Bertade's expression remained calm. He softly countered,

"Your Highness, this battle has been planned by you for a long time. After preparing so much, don't you have confidence in it?"

Upon hearing this, the Young Commander raised his head, looked up at the bright sky, and softly exclaimed,

"What a beautiful clear day!"

Then, Xiulote surveyed his fleet again—hundreds of large boats centered around the flagship, almost a thousand smaller boats interweaving through the flanks. The Samurai gripped their longbows and war clubs with solemn expressions, a reassuring force. Annatri stood proudly on a splendid large boat, long spear in hand, with the Deputy Marshal's flag waving behind her. Situated at the forefront of the fleet, she commanded the movement of the small boats with orderly precision—a Naval Commander to be trusted!

"The timing is advantageous, the forces nearly equal, and the army's morale is high,"

Xiulote pondered for a moment, then looked again at Bertade, his expression now steady. He finally nodded slowly, a confident smile on his face.

"In that case, let us then battle!"

On the calm surface of the lake, the opposing fleets gradually began to form their battle formations. In this era's naval warfare, the large canoe was the core of the battle formation, akin to a fierce crocodile. Each large boat could carry up to forty people, having a clear advantage over the small craft. The small boats, meanwhile, swirled around the large boats like fish, agile and carrying eight people each.

The Mexica fleet's three hundred large boats were loosely arranged, the formation linearly stretched with not more than a few layers in thickness. The fleet was vast, divided into two clear formations. The commander of the front formation was the Naval Commander, with close-combat warriors outnumbering the longbowmen on the central large boats. The small boats on the flanks were filled with harassing longbow militia and sailors. The rear formation fluttered with the Commander-in-Chief's flag, a line of large boats spread out, densely packed with longbow warriors.

The Tarasco fleet consisted of four hundred large boats, the formation tight and well-trained. These boats stayed very close to each other, facilitating massed charging to hold localized battlefield advantage. The overall formation was not wide but very deep, like an arrow poised to be shot, a common naval battle formation for Naval Forces.

Sko stood proudly on the flagship in the center. He looked at the opposing formation and first laughed heartily in front of his officers.

"The Mexica do not understand naval warfare! With the gods' blessing, our forces are bound to win!"

Then, he conjectured within his heart, his face showing a smile. The enemy's naval forces were so arrayed probably to leverage the power of archery, but he was well prepared.

The outset of the naval battle was small boats probing. Hundreds of small boats sped forward, colliding and tumbling in front of both fleets' large boats.

In the center of the battleground, hundreds of small boats had no escape and crashed into each other with a "bang". Militia and sailors quickly picked up their weapons, shouting loudly and fighting vigorously. Spears clashed with short daggers, occasionally bursts of blood flowering, staining the clear lake water. Sharp weapons "plunged" into flesh, screams and cries of pain were incessant, as warriors from both sides entangled and died together.

On the flanking sides of the battleground, the Mexica's small boats maneuvered flexibly, and the tribal hunters fully utilized the advantage of close-range archery. "Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!" With twenty steps apart, several tribal hunters on the small boats released their arrows at once. The arrow light flashed like electricity, instantly piercing through gaps in the enemies' shields. Two Tarasco paddlers fell immediately, splashing a boatful of blood, and the boat suddenly lost speed. The militia on board had no choice but to put down their copper spears and clumsily row nearer, only to be mercilessly shot down again.

After observing for a moment from the flagship, Sko slightly frowned.

The Tarascos' small boats had shields installed on both sides, but they could not fully cover them. The enemy's archery was extremely precise, resulting in a noticeably greater loss on their part. In the small boat combat, the Naval Forces gradually fell at a disadvantage.

Realizing that the small boats couldn't achieve victory, the "Crocodile" Nobility didn't hesitate. He waved his command flag, ordering the large boats to close in. The war drums sounded, and Tarasco's large boats finally took action, revealing their potency. All large boats were refitted, with a large number of wooden shields nailed on both sides and wooden sheds constructed on top to shield against powerful longbows.

Dozens of Tarasco large boats rushed forward first, with hundreds of arrows "bang bang" nailed to the shields and wooden canopies, but unable to cause any damage. The Mexica small boats had to quickly retreat and scatter.

In the distant rear of the Mexica, Xiulote stood on the high platform of the large boat, seeing the small boats in the front unable to disperse, and the enemy's large boats coming on strongly. He hesitated for a moment and finally saw clearly the rebuilt form of the enemy's large boats. The Young Commander was slightly stunned, then his face lit up with joy and he laughed heartily.

"What a surprise! In this battle, the enemy commander should take the credit!"

The cluster of Tarasco large boats gradually approached, closing in on the Mexica fleet to about a hundred steps. As an unusually loud bugle sounded, the enemy's fleet of large boats suddenly exerted force, the paddlers straining to row and starting to charge!

Annatri quickly waved the spear flag, the sound of retreat trumpeted, and the quick Mexica small boats agilely fled in reverse, while the loosely organized large boats also began to turn backward.

Ospei was secretly puzzled, as the morale of the Mexica naval forces was still strong and they wouldn't collapse at the slightest touch. He waved the command flag, preparing to mobilize fast small boats to attack and restrain the enemy.

A faint glimmer of firelight suddenly flickered across the water. Mexica's large boats had already crossed their hulls, a row of archers drew their bowstrings and then notched arrows to shoot strongly, the low "humming" sound rising. Then, thousands of fire arrows with just-lit paper casings, like burning meteors, swiftly attacked! The fire arrows traveled over a distance of more than fifty steps, nailed on the wooden hulls, wooden shields, and wooden canopies. The continuous "du-du" sound was sharp and piercing, like the proclamation of the God of Death!

Then, Ospei knew what truly dazzling meteors were, what brilliant and magnificent fireworks were! Countless flames burst into fire, the bright light stinging the eyes. The scorching smoke rapidly rose, bringing the scent of burning sulfur, resembling the mouth of a demon spewing smoke from a western volcano!

In just a moment, the "Crocodile" commander's vision was already filled with an unforgettable blaze. The canopies were burning, shields were burning, large boats were burning, Samurai clad in Leather Armor were burning, Militia dressed in cloth were burning... everything was on fire, this was a world of burning death! Samurai and Militia alike became human torches, issuing sky-wide mournful screams, desperately jumping into the lake. And even on the splash-specked lake surface, there were burning fire arrows scattered.

The sound of slicing air "whizz" rose, Mexica's fire arrows came soaring again. But in just a few moments, even more fierce flames exploded across the sky, igniting dozens of Tarasco large boats once again!

Facing this sudden explosive attack, the Tarasco Naval Forces instantly fell into shock and fear. The surging flames burned fiercely, the acrid smoke engulfed the boats, and the exploding fire arrows could even float on the water surface! Samurai, Militia, and Sailors lost their voices momentarily, then began to scream in uncontrollable terror.

"The enemy has summoned the gods, the foreign Fire God has descended!"

The Samurai were frantic on the boats, looking toward the Commander-in-Chief's flagship, praying for their own gods to appear.

"These are demons of the western volcanoes, they will devour everything!"

The Militia trembled, dropped their weapons, and crawled on the deck, hiding from the choking smoke.

"These are sprites of fire, able to burn on water!"

The Sailors turned fearfully, ready to desperately flee, but they collided with the large boat in the rear.

Only the experienced officers were slightly composed. They identified the scent of the smoke, recalling the flames from the Priest's prayers. Then, they thought of the title of the opposite commander, and finally came to a realization, shouting hoarsely.

"It's the God of Death! He uses Netherfire!"

At that moment, the myth became vivid in everyone's minds, dominating all their spirits. This was an era of ignorance, with many myths preserved. Nearby, Jiowar, aboard the same ship, was equally stunned. He looked at the flames that didn't belong to this era, murmuring incredulously.

"Primordial God, could it be that youngster... no, could it be that my elder brother truly possesses divine power?!"

The raging fire burned on the lake, the surging heat waves transformed into strong winds, fluttering the Mexica commander's flag. Under the dazzling sunlight, the Black Wolf on the flag roared skyward, while the commander beneath the flag glittered brilliantly. Xiulote's expression was solemn, like the embodiment of a god, remaining in everyone's heart!