CHAPTER 1174: CHAPTER 735: THE SECOND KINGDOM EXPEDITION, THE FEAR OF THE CIGUAYO PEOPLE

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

A fierce rain of arrows rose from the greatbows on both sides of the longboats, bringing a sharp death hum! The vicious bone arrows arrived in an instant, and the fifty-step distance was already accurate enough. The hunters on the small boats had just raised their short hunting bows when they let out a series of miserable cries, falling one by one to the incoming sharp arrows. These sharp bone arrows were of such forcefulness that even a slight hit would result in a penetrating severe wound!

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The cries had not yet subsided when a second round of sharp arrows followed, injuring more than twenty warriors. After two rounds of arrow rain, the canoes of the Taino people gathered to face the battle scattered quickly like an injured school of fish. The warrior leader Zi Sun gritted his teeth, lying low on a small boat in the back, cursing angrily in surprise.

"Damn! Damn! Such powerful arrows?! Which tribe with skilled archers is this? By the ancestors of the lake, this is definitely not the meek Taino people!"

"Chief Divine bless us, speed up, speed up! Shoot another round of bone arrows, then accelerate and charge, capsize them!"

Huitu Puapu shouted fiercely, personally releasing arrows from the bow of the ship. The enemies had no armor, and the cheap bone arrows were deadly enough. Amidst the calls, seven fierce longboats had already charged to within ten paces.

The kingdom’s archers in armor on the longboats stood behind the shields on both sides, fully revealing their forms. Their expressions were calm; even on the rocking boats, their arms remained steady, aiming at the nearby enemies.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

The third round of feathered arrows was shot almost touching the ships of both sides, once again shot close! The hunters of the Taino people shouted and desperately drew their short bows, shooting upward at the surrounding longboats.

"Quick! Use the poison arrows!"

Upon hearing the order, dozens of veteran hunters did not hesitate and switched to the rare and precious poison arrows!

However, the poison arrows for the first time were blocked by the enemy’s leather armor, only grazing a few people. At the same time, a burst of miserable cries and the warriors’ angry and fearful howls broke out again from the scattered boats of the Taino people!

"Oh ancestors! Leader Zi Yuan has fallen in battle!"

Dozens of steps away, the warrior leader Zi Sun lay on the boat, shocked at the news. He looked up and saw that the warrior leader Zi Yuan, who commanded at the front line, had obviously been given special attention. In the last round of arrow rain, twenty sharp arrows hit the small boat where Zi Yuan was, turning him into what looked like a spiky porcupine! The bright purple hair was also stained red with blood at this moment.

"Ah! They’re crashing! Crashing over!"

"Crack! Crack!..."

It was only a moment before terrified cries and the huge snapping sounds of wood shattering suddenly erupted from the small boat!

Seven sharp-headed longboats relentlessly rushed in with terrifying speed, crashing ferociously into the fleet of small boats! It was like a shark bite, instantly smashing and capsizing over a dozen small boats. The dozens of Taino warriors on board plunged into the water in exclamations, and were crushed by the heavy longboats, bodies trembling and softening, sinking silently to the seabed. This round of impact alone had taken forty of the tribe’s best men out of the fight completely.

"Surround them! Surround them! Close in and surround them, kill the archers on the longboats!"

A brave leader with purple hair, holding an obsidian long spear, shouted loudly! He led a dozen small boats, approaching the leading kingdom flagship. Then, he let out a heroic shout and, with a group of red-haired warriors clustering around, jumped onto the bow of the longship.

"Ancestor witness! No matter which tribe they belong to, I, the brave Zi Ying, must stab them to death!... Kill! Ah? You!... Uh! Hoho!..."

"Ha! Blabbering some gibberish, it sounds nothing like Taíno language, no idea what he’s yelling about!"

Huitu Puapu muttered in a low voice, pulling a bloodstained bronze axe from the chest where the leader Zi Ying had his tattoo. Then, the warm gush of bright red blood splattered all over his head and face.

"Bah!... This blood is really fishy!"

Puapu spat forcefully, ejecting the blood from his mouth. Then he instinctively touched his somewhat aching chest.

In that flash of a moment, the Taino warriors jumped onto the bow of the boat and fought the kingdom’s warriors at close quarters. On the narrow and crowded boat, there was no room for either side to dodge, and the outcome was decided in an instant! He faced the purple-haired leader, taking a spear to the chest but still managing to return an ax blow. That full-force ax nearly split the unarmored enemy in half, and the enemy’s fierce spear...

Puapu’s palm stopped, feeling the hard, slightly cold touch on his chest, a grin spread across his face.

"Ha! Quite strong, huh! Reckon it’s all bruised up..."

"Hiss! All Gods and ancestors witness! This... this Longboat Tribe is amazingly mighty!"

On the longboat, the Water Chief stared wide-eyed, watching the melee battle unfold, his hunting bow trembling in hand. He drew a sharp breath, his mind filled with both surprise and awe.

The battle had lasted only two quarters, and the dozen Taino warriors who jumped onto the longboat were effortlessly killed by the warriors of the fleet. The Taino people howled viciously, with the frenzy of mad dogs biting, while the fleet’s warriors remained indifferent and calm, moving unhurriedly like turtles. They pierced with copper spears with precision, fiercely slashed with bronze axes, killing the enemies one by one while suffering almost no casualties themselves!

"Facing the savage Taino people, the battle on the seven longboats was like this! It was a one-sided slaughter... Is this perhaps the power of the Chief Divine?..."

The fierce battle raged, cries shook the heavens, stone spears clashed with armor, bronze axes collided with bodies. Water Chief glanced around, his face showing more and more undisguised horror.

At first, dozens of hastily assembled Zigouyou canoes rushed forward, desperately engaging the seven longships in battle. The numbers on both sides were roughly equivalent, with Zigouyou having slightly more.

But the battle has now turned the sea red with blood, blue-haired and red-haired corpses floating everywhere. And the kingdom’s warriors, clad in leather armor, had no more than a dozen wounded. To the Taino people, the ferocious Zigouyou raiders were nothing but beasts ready for slaughter in front of the silent battling Longship Tribe!

This one-sided slaughter continued for another quarter, and the Zigouyou began to show signs of collapse. Especially when another purple-haired leader commanding was killed by an Osprey’s piercing javelin, the remaining Zigouyou warriors could no longer hold on.

"Ah! Ancestors! They killed the leader! They are undying Sea Demons!"

A dozen small boats hurriedly turned away, leaving behind the captives on the shore, and the fighting fleet, choosing to flee. The escaping tribal warriors showed unprecedented fear, heading for the vast northern sea, desperately rowing away without looking back.

"Leader! Purple Kite Leader is dead by arrows, Purple Eagle Leader was killed by a sword, Purple Raven Leader was shot dead by javelin... Now, of the four leaders, only you remain!"

"Damn it! What are you babbling about? Keep it down!"

Upon hearing the trusted aide’s shouting, Purple Falcon Leader’s face turned angry, then showed inner fear. He already noticed that the enemies on the longships intentionally sought out purple-haired leaders, killing them one by one. And the purple on his head, though just smeared with some black mud from the ship, was still hard to conceal.

"Damn it! Truly damn it! Where did these enemies come from? They can shoot arrows from afar, row boats to ram, and fight close! They are clad in tough thick leather... This is definitely not Taino people!"

Purple Falcon Leader gritted his teeth, heart bleeding. He could not understand why, when the tribe was excited and looting successfully, they suddenly faced such terrifying enemies? Whether it was the swift arrows and greatbows, golden axe and spear, or the thick skins on the longships, it was everything that the wandering Zigouyou had never seen on the Caribbean Islands!

"If we had known there would be such formidable tribes on the Western Long Island, why did we migrate the entire tribe thousands of miles to come here? Though the Taino Tribe on Haiti Island is slightly more brave than the Taino people here, they cannot compare to the Longship Tribe we encountered today..."

The sound of battle gradually grew faint, panic-stricken cries rang out among the boats. More Zigouyou warriors turned to flee, the attacking canoes scattered in all directions. And the longships, paused for several quarters, finally painted with the scarlet of death, began to move again.

"Leader, Leader! The longship is moving again! It’s coming towards us!"

"Damn it! Stop shouting! Inform the nearby boats to spread out and flee! Escaping to the lake island in the northern sea!"

"Ah? What about the looted goods on the shore, the captured captives, and the warriors who didn’t make it to the ships... What should we do?"

"What to do? Damn it! Leave it all! Turn the bow, row with all our might, we’re leaving now!"

After speaking, Purple Falcon Leader forcefully pushed overboard a large basket of looted tobacco and fragrant leaves. Then he crouched his form, took a paddle, and personally started rowing, murmuring prayers.

"Ancestors, I beseech you protect me! Let those damned Longship Tribes not pursue us!"

With the retreat of the last leader, the Zigouyou’s complete rout thus ensued. The Zigouyou warriors, who two quarters ago charged like fearless hunting dogs, now turned into timid, fearful grass mice, abandoning their courage. They exposed their unguarded backs, scrambling to escape by rowing, mercilessly pursued and slaughtered by the warriors on the longships!

Perhaps hearing Purple Falcon Leader’s plea, Huitu Puapu’s eyes sparked sharply, keenly spotting that fleeting glimpse of purple among the dozens of scattered fleeing boats.

"Haha! Here’s another one, a big fish that slipped through the net!"

Puapu grinned, showing the excitement of pursuit and hunting. One hand held a purple blood-dripping head, the other pointing forward, ready to fiercely command an all-out chase in that direction.

The longships have many rowers, who can take turns in an orderly manner, stabilizing the speed of advance, actually faster than the canoes. Don’t be fooled by the current rapid escape of Zigouyou’s canoes; it is merely a temporary burst. Just patiently pursue for a few quarters, when the rowers’ stamina is exhausted, they will be fat fish waiting to be slaughtered!

"Chief Divine bless! Give me..."

"Chief Divine bless! We’ve won!"

Just as Puapu was about to issue an order, Priest Tomate smiled serenely, extended a hand to hold back Puapu’s arm, suppressing his command.

"Esteemed Deputy Captain Puapu, Chief Divine bless the fleet, this is undoubtedly a great victory!"

"Ah? Priest Tomate, I was about to chase that..."

"Praise the Supreme Main God, praise the Warriors of the Kingdom! I think the battle with Zigouyou should just end here! As for the fleeing enemy, it is better to leave it to fate..."

Saying this, Tomate smiled subtly, while communicating in the Mexica Language, he glanced around at the blood-stained coast. He looked at Water Chief, who was in shock and excitement, and then at the large group of militia rushing out from the Red Soil Clan village, his mouth gradually curling up, his words carrying deep meaning.

"And now, another, more important ’battle’ is soon to begin... Chief Divine bless!"