Chapter 2260 - 1611: Devastating Losses on Both Sides
The mountainous area in the center of Puerto Rico Island, known by the Taino people as the "Land of Clouds and Mist." It is the dwelling place of the Ancestor Spirit and the wind, a place of peace and tranquility amidst the mountain forest.
The mountains rise and fall like the spine of the earth. The slopes are covered with dense grass and palm groves, interspersed with ancient banyan trees with coffee-colored bark. The hanging roots of the banyan trees connect with the earth and sometimes obstruct the narrow paths in the forest. The uneven ground beneath thick leaves makes walking difficult, especially when wearing armor, as it is easy to fall.
"Phew! We’ve escaped into the mountain forest! The Evil Demons can’t get to us now! If they dare to chase us, I, the Red-haired Chabo, would be more than happy to give them a good play!"
Red-haired Chabo climbed a banyan tree in the forest and gazed toward the northern fields and hills, but saw nothing. He led over thirty Canine Descendant Shooters, first diving into the eastern slopes’ long grass, then turning southward. They ran barefoot for two days to reach here. This sudden attack and run was exhausting, even for the fleet-footed Canine Descendants.
"Let’s go! To the small village in the southern mountains! There are supplies and food, and grass beds where we can get a good night’s sleep!"
"Strange! Why hasn’t Apu returned yet? They aren’t very good, a bit slow when running..."
In the early morning, a thin mist rose from the canyon, and sunlight pierced the forest like golden feathers, scattering on the wet grass and stream rocks. The mountain stream was clear, flowing through rock crevices like a silver thread through beads, winding past the circular thatched huts of the Taino village. Children ran barefoot on the slopes, holding small birds made of woven bamboo leaves; women sat around an ancient tree, grinding cassava roots with stone mills, sun-drying white cassava cakes; men returned from the mountain fields, carrying baskets full of taro and plantains, softly singing work songs praising cassava and Ancestor God.
This was a Taino mountain village, hidden in the forest, with only a few dozen Taino Tribes. Even though it was merely forty li from the Evil Demon’s coastal stronghold, the mountain barrier had kept them undiscovered by the Castilian Expeditionary Army, presenting a scene of peace and seclusion.
At this moment, seeing the arrival of the Red-haired Canine Descendants, the villagers were initially surprised, then swiftly offered food and water. The children curiously asked about the "Evil Demon Camp" to the north, while the men and women pursed their lips, showing a hint of fear and anxiety on their faces.
"We gave them a good beating, with all kinds of clattering! Don’t worry, they can’t enter this forest! If they dare to come, they’ll be in for a surprise! The Evil Demon’s heavy armor turns into clumsy crocodiles once ashore..."
Red-haired Chabo laughed heartily, casually bragging to the villagers. This mountain village, if not for the guidance of the Earth Tribe Chief’s daughter, would have been hard for the Kingdom’s Vanguard Army to find. It’s the best supply point and the starting point for this assault.
"Phew! How in the world is this suit of iron armor made? How can it be seamless and arrows can’t penetrate at all?"
Several Canine Descendants gathered around the only captured suit of plate armor, studying this "iron shell," pondering how to deal with it. Next time, if they encounter this extremely difficult Iron Man again, how should they pierce the armor and kill them?
Beside these people, two successful Red-haired Shooters were proudly holding their spoils of war, "two Castilian Knights’ heads"! They fiddled with the heads wearing helmets, examining them from all angles, finally discovering something interesting: the knights’ headgear had faceplates that could be unlatched with a few clasps and opened with a "click".
"Click! I am the Evil Demon’s Stone Skin Warrior, Big Stone!"
"Click! I am the Evil Demon’s Iron Plate Warrior, Big Iron Head!"
"Click click! Let’s fight! Click click!..."
Having discovered this amusing clasp, the two Red-haired Canine Descendants each held a head, opening and closing the faceplates repeatedly. Then, they mimicked the speech of the Evil Demon Elite in their tones, as if they were in some kind of "duel".
"Click! Take my spear!"
"Click! Take my axe!"
Thus, the heads of Knight Garcia and Knight Inigo continued to bulge wide-eyed, engaged in a "contest" with the faceplates flipping open and shut.
So, when Huitu Puapu, covered in blood, returned exhausted with fourteen brothers, they stumbled upon this gruesome game scene. The Canine Descendants, however, were happily absorbed in their play.
"...What is this? Damn Evil Demon Iron Armor Warriors!"
Seeing the Evil Demon heads with peculiar helmets, Huitu Puapu’s eyes turned red with anger, gritting his teeth with hatred. The two remaining followers beside him also seethed with rage. Red-haired Chabo, filled with curiosity, stepped forward to examine closely and exclaimed in surprise.
"Apu! You set out with fifty warriors, and only fifteen came back in the end?"
"...Others might still come back later..."
"That’s nonsense! For this short distance, it took you so long to return; you must have waited somewhere in between... If they haven’t returned by now, they’re surely dead in the Evil Demon camp, their souls gone to the Divine Kingdom, never to return!"
Red-haired Chabo shook his head, breaking Huitu Puapu’s self-delusion. Then, he asked again.
"What happened to you guys? How did you suffer such a defeat?"
"..."
Hearing this, Huitu Puapu was silent for a long time, tears welling up in his eyes. At this moment, there was no trace of his previous ferocity and courage, only the sorrow of losing most of his subordinates. After all, these Kingdom’s Warriors followed him through rebellion during the Western campaign, exile to the Tarsas River Mouth, exploration east towards the Maya, and finally coming to Cuba... They were brothers of ten years!