Chapter 2323 - 1642: The Trial of Life and Death, No Turning Back!

"I am the Leopard of the Jungle, my heart beats like wild deer in flight, yet now, specks like frost cover my body, gnawing at my blood, chewing at my bone."

"Quetzalīn calli! Beneath the roof of flowers and quetzal feathers our ancestors dance, but tonight I lie amid withered petals and fallen plumes. Heat and pain are like the talons of an eagle, clawing and pecking at my skin. Yet a brave Samurai does not weep, for tears cannot call back the daylight.

Ehecatl yohualli! Wind God, carry off the breath of life tainted by disease, Moon God, cloak my trembling shadow. I hear the war drums echoing in the Divine Kingdom—this is the voice that summons me home!"

Xochitl tonatiuh! Flowers and Sun weave my mat and bedding, my every breath is incense smoke offered to the fire of heaven. When I go back, I shall bear this scarred and hideous flesh, wear the eagle feather, and set my feet upon the road of light."

Huitzilopochtli, Tonatiuh! I thank you, most exalted Sun God. Life is a trial, death the way home; I shall pass through the night, and in life or in death, I shall never look back~~"

The marks of smallpox were like "frost and eagle talons," imprinted upon Samurai whose nature had been like flowers and birds, bringing a trial of death from which there was no escape. The Warriors of the Kingdom raised an ancient song; in the song, Chief Divine and Subordinate God alike fixed their gaze upon them. Warrior Captain Kepili dipped blue ink and drew on his helmet a leopard's head befitting his name, then used red ink to paint the spots on the leopard's body. Thus helmed in this ritual leopard head helmet, he went to see Priest Adin, before the final "trial."

"Ah! Leopard Head Knight Captain, you mean to lead all the Kingdom's Warriors and Tribal Warriors into the mountains at such a time? But upon the bodies of many, red sores have already broken out; in just a few more days they will collapse, mortally ill..."

"Mm. We have already decided. Red rashes have risen on my body as well, and on many Samurai besides. This is the trial between life and death; not many will likely pass it. We cannot fall here, letting those surrendered and converted mercenaries witness our weakness and our dying... To hand the lives of Warriors over to these mercenaries to tend—I do not trust it. To call the Taino Mazi out of the mountains, and expose them beneath the gaze of these new converts, would also be ill-advised, far too dangerous."

Warrior Captain Kepili wore a smile on his face, calm and resolute.

"So we will enter the mountains, to the Plague Village hidden there. If we die in this 'trial', we will be buried there, and the mercenaries shall not see it. This coastal port, and these spoils of war and goods they are loath to part with—we will leave to them. No matter what they attempt, they cannot put out to sea, and so they cannot flee."

"We Samurai have all made our decision. But you, Priest Adin—will you go with us into the mountains, or remain here alone among your so-called 'countrymen'?"

"..."

At these words, Priest Adin's face showed deep hesitation. He had never imagined that none of the Kingdom's Samurai and warriors had ever faced smallpox before, having no resistance at all. And seeing Kepili's bearing as one who goes to meet death, what was to come wrenched the heart. Yet if he stayed behind alone, remaining amidst this band of fickle mercenaries, what if they rose in rebellion and turned on him? He had only just managed to convert these countrymen, win over and enfeoff several Knights, and at last secure a measure of control. If he left now, would it not all be cast to ruin?"

Priest Adin's expression shifted again and again; after a long while, his impulsive and emotional side finally prevailed. He clenched his teeth and spoke out harshly.

"Let the Chief Divine bear witness! Leopard Head Knight Captain, I will stay here, wearing down these mercenaries, overseeing the fields, crops, and livestock on this side! You go into the mountains. With your martial might looming from afar, these mercenaries will not dare to truly act. And I am confident some among them have already turned to my side. As long as I press them further, I can raise up a band of devout demons... Chief Divine Warriors!"

"Good. Then you shall remain at the port. I will also take that 'Commander Sacrifice' away for the time being, lest he sway these mercenaries. The next relief fleet from the Kingdom should appear in about ten days. The Vanguard scout fast ships will likely reach here in some seven or eight days. Tell them by all means not to land; it will suffice for them to show themselves far out at sea! When the reinforcing Samurai arrive offshore, you will personally take two men into the mountains, bring the 'Commander Sacrifice' back to Iron Bay Town, and use him in the coming Great Chief Divine Rite!"

Warrior Captain Kepili instructed him in detail, his thinking well-considered. When he had finished speaking, he adjusted the leopard head helmet upon his brow, showed a smile like a leopard's grin, and took his leave.

"Death is the journey of no return; new birth is the Chief Divine's blessing. We depart now!"

"Ah! May the Chief Divine shelter you, and shelter the Warriors of the Kingdom as well!"

In that instant, beholding Kepili's tranquil smile as he faced the "trial," Priest Adin's heart was shaken. For the first time he realized that perhaps the Huitzilopochtli whom the Kingdom revered was not an evil "Great Demon" at all, but something truly akin to the "Almighty," a Great Divine Spirit that bestowed fearlessness and courage. And the demonic elements he had grafted into the conversion rites, following Europe's imaginings—were these, perhaps, a kind of blasphemy? In this tangle of emotions, Priest Adin stood for a long time. Only when all the Kingdom's Samurai and warriors had vanished into the tall grasses of the South did he finally sigh softly.

"Den t?t grüezen, daz ist des mannes zuht undêre."

"To greet death—that is a man's duty and honor."

With the departure of the Kingdom's martial strength, this stronghold port left behind by the Castilians passed wholly into the hands of the Shenluo Mercenaries. After brooding for several days, Mercenary Captain Reinhardt at last sensed that something was amiss, and deep confusion showed on his face.