Aztec Civilization: Destiny to Conquer America!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

Ten terrifying thunderbolts formed a line, exploding on the high hills like the roaring descent of the God of Thunder! Then, amidst the mind-blowing, dizzying sound of explosions, ten heavy 30-pound stone projectiles suddenly spewed out from the huge mouth of the "Copper Beast"!

Under the terrified gaze of the defending army on the city walls, the massive barrage of stone balls traced a high arc, ascending dozens of meters before mercilessly accelerating their approach!

"No! No! Oh, Cloud Serpent Divine!"

Olin widened his eyes, emitting a piercing scream. He watched as a stone projectile swiftly descended, heading straight towards his position. He wanted to get up and flee, but it was as if he had been immobilized by witchcraft, his body trembling, his limbs paralyzed.

"Cloud Serpent Divine... ah!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

A sequence of violent impacts resonated, nearly deafening the defending army. Immediately afterward, the solid walls shook heavily, like the upraised hand of an angry Earth Mother Goddess!

"Aah!"

A full seventy or eighty White Snake Samurai were directly thrown to the ground, rolling down the several-meter-high city walls, emitting a series of heartrending screams!

However, the real tragedy was at the point of impact with the stone projectiles. Fragments of stone sprayed rapidly like sharp blades, slashing the warriors' necks. Dust and sand surged upward, blinding the defending army with their piercing energy. When the dust settled, over twenty gruesomely dead bodies lay scattered around different stone impact points, some even crushed into pulp in the center! As for the injured on the outskirts, numbering in the dozens to hundreds, they screamed in madness, some even jumping off the walls.

"Ah! The Mexica have summoned the God of Thunder!"

"Oh, Cloud Serpent Divine, save us!"

"Ah! Ah! Divine punishment! This is divine punishment!... It is punishment for our sins!"

Amid the hysterical cries on the city walls, Olin struggled to open his eyes. He was already lying flat on the wall, his leather armor pitted and embedded with numerous stone fragments. Stretching out his bruised arm, he turned his heavy body, seeing just five or six steps away, a fallen stone projectile, like a deadly God of Death's glance.

The stone projectile lay quietly motionless, but below it were layered one or two shattered pieces of "pulp." Just two minutes ago, those "pulp" had been seasoned warriors Olin knew, clad in leather armor, holding shields, and impervious to arrows.

Blood as red as tomato juice flowed across the city walls, quickly soaking the arms of the Cloud Serpent Warriors, showing the fate of those struck by "divine punishment." Quickly, trembling arms rose up, drawing a gesture of prayer, accompanied by whispers of despair.

"Mighty God of Thunder! I beseech you! Do not let me die like this..."

Further away, at the top of White Snake City, Tizat knelt down, his face full of dust, his eyes empty and forlorn. His fear was uncontrollable, his body weak, hearing the cries of the warriors on the city wall, tremblingly muttering to himself.

"...Divine punishment? Could this really be divine punishment?... Our sins, my sins..."

"Praise the Chief Divine! Truly a weapon like divine punishment!"

On the high platform, Bertade widened his eyes, watching the mortar cannon's onslaught in utter shock, losing complete control of his expression. Moments later, the shock on his face gradually transformed into ecstasy, raising his voice in excitement!

"May the Chief Divine bless the Kingdom, may the Chief Divine bless His Highness! Your Highness, with such a weapon, how can any city-state, no matter how fortified, resist you?! God bless the King! You are destined to become the one who unites the world like the Sun!"

"Haha! God is with me, I shall unite the world!"

Hearing Bertade's words, Xiulote laughed heartily, his spirits soaring high.

The current mortar bombardment was powerful, yet not enough to move him. What truly delighted him was Bertade's truth. Facing such a siege weapon, no city-state in the world could resist! In future military campaigns, as long as sufficient mortars were brought in, it would inevitably lead to the city's downfall!

"Hmm, of course, rare mountaintop fortresses like Cloud Serpent Mountain City are not included..."

Xiulote's thoughts drifted as his gaze settled on White Snake City. After a round of stone blast, there were no more feathered arrows shooting down from White Snake City's walls. The shouts and chaotic movements of warriors on the battlements clearly indicated disorder. Many knelt on the city walls in prayer, words like "divine punishment" and "sin" vaguely audible in the air.

Outside White Snake City, Mexica gunners busied themselves again. They cleaned the cannon muzzle and barrel with expensive brushes, extinguishing any lingering sparks and checking the fixations. Then, once confirming no hidden fire, they blocked the ignition hole at the cannon's breech to prevent air from fueling accidental ignition, pouring large amounts of gunpowder without excessive compression. Finally, they loaded heavy stone projectiles, sealed the cannon muzzle, and set the front lines all ready...

The loading speed of such muzzle-loading stone-throwing mortars was extremely slow, taking a full half-hour for the gunners to light their torches, readying for the next launch.

"Praise the Chief Divine! Hit the wicked!"

After a unified prayer, sparks glided along the fuses, like judgment before the end of days. Then came another ten thunderclaps!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!..."

The thunder of the apocalypse descended again, delivering impartial judgment upon all atop the walls! In the face of such a fearful weapon, a mere touch meant death! And this time, among those meeting their end was an individual of true nobility.

"No! No! I am the Divine Descendant of the Cloud Serpent, the City Lord of White Snake City! I command you, stop! No! No!... Ah!..."

The ruthless stone projectile listened to no one's protest. It merely howled its descent, smashing through the city wall, scattering stone chips. Then, these shattered "blades" shot forth, piercing the City Lord of White Snake with blood-soaked holes all over his face and neck!

City Lord Tizat knelt on the spot, suddenly silent. Next, streams of blood gushed from his head, face, and neck like some sort of showerhead spray. Soon, his muscles relaxed, his body collapsing limply to the ground, much like a tomato pecked by a bird.

"The... City Lord... is dead?!"

"Ah! The city wall! The city wall is cracked!"

Two different cries resounded on the city wall, carrying the same fear, followed by a chaotic uproar. This time, almost all the defending warriors fell into terror and confusion, completely losing any organization and discipline.

"Hmm? The city wall is cracked?"

Upon hearing the shouts from the city wall, Xiulote stroked his chin, carefully scrutinizing the wall. Soon he noticed a conspicuous crack appearing on the west side at the top of South City. If they focused their bombardment on this area for a few more rounds, perhaps the entire section of the wall could be completely brought down.

"Your Highness, the defending army on the wall has lost its commander, intimidated by the stone barrage, and their morale is utterly depleted!"

Bertade, having observed the wall, prudently offered his suggestion.

"Now is the time to send troops to climb the city, and it can be easily conquered!"

"Hmm. Good!"

After a brief consideration, Xiulote raised his command flag. Subsequently, the intense sound of war drums echoed like raindrops beating down!

A thousand Mexica vanguard, already prepared, carried dozens of ladders, charging towards White Snake City. Along the way, the city wall remained in chaos, with only scattered shooting. And when the ladders were set up and the hundreds of vanguards began their ascent, launching a massacre on the wall, the defending army's morale crumbled.

Hundreds to thousands of White Snake Samurai almost offered no resistance, dropping their weapons, kneeling on the city wall, and surrendering to the Mexica vanguard climbing up. Subsequently, the flags of the Chief Divine were planted atop the walls, and the gates were flung open!

"Praise the Chief Divine! Praise His Highness! Capture White Snake Hill City, seize the Cloud Serpent Divine Descendant!"

As the second thousand-warrior battalion stormed into the city from the gates, chanting the divine's mantra, stepping over the rubble and bloodred ground, the fate of White Snake Hill City was sealed! This once impregnable fortress standing atop its hill, shielding the Tlaxcala for over a hundred years, had finally fallen!