Victory

Liu Zhi didn't have time to see where his longsword had fallen, nor could he spare a thought for the split web of his hand. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he pulled the dagger from his belt and stabbed at the Jaguar Warrior.

But just then, the Jaguar Warrior lunged forward and pinpointed Liu Zhi's position. He pressed down on Liu Zhi's shoulder with his left hand and raised the Macuahuitl in his right, ready to bring it down on Liu Zhi's head.

Liu Zhi tried to struggle, but the Jaguar Warrior held him fast. There was no way to escape.

In that situation, all he could do was stab backward, driving the dagger into the Jaguar Warrior's left hand. Then Liu Zhi twisted his wrist and flicked the blade upward.

He severed the tendon in the Jaguar Warrior's left hand.

But that did nothing to change the situation. The Macuahuitl was about to come down on Liu Zhi's head.

Panicking, Liu Zhi crouched, turning his back toward the Macuahuitl.

He had a fairly thick backpack on his back, filled with a large amount of documents and a few items.

When the Macuahuitl came down, Liu Zhi felt a sharp pain in his back and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The Jaguar Warrior knew Liu Zhi wasn't dead. He casually lifted Liu Zhi, intending to pull him upright and strike him again.

That lift exposed an opening in the Jaguar Warrior's chest.

Liu Zhi didn't have time to think. He turned his dagger around and stabbed the Jaguar Warrior in the chest.

The moment the dagger pierced flesh, the Jaguar Warrior reacted. He jerked his arm, trying to fling Liu Zhi away.

But he'd forgotten that Liu Zhi had just severed the tendons in his hand. He only managed to throw Liu Zhi two or three meters.

Liu Zhi wasn't about to let such an opportunity slip by. Ignoring his serious injuries, he swung his backpack around and hurled it at the Jaguar Warrior.

At the same time, Liu Zhi charged after it, rushing toward the Jaguar Warrior.

The Jaguar Warrior couldn't see clearly. Hearing only the rush of something approaching, he brought down the raised Macuahuitl, cleaving Liu Zhi's backpack in two.

Taking advantage of the opening, Liu Zhi darted right up to the Jaguar Warrior. His short dagger traced a Z through the air.

The first stroke of the Z slashed across the Jaguar Warrior's throat, spraying blood everywhere.

Liu Zhi didn't stop. The next two strokes cut across the Jaguar Warrior's body. As he finished the Z, Liu Zhi suddenly felt an urge to plunge his dagger into the second stroke.

If the battle hadn't been so dangerous, he might have given in to the urge and stabbed without a second thought.

But he couldn't now. Forcing down the impulse, Liu Zhi struck the Jaguar Warrior three times and quickly retreated. Only after backing away four or five steps to safety did he draw a deep breath and look at what had happened.

What Liu Zhi saw was the Jaguar Warrior kneeling on the ground.

The warrior's face was filled with unwillingness and confusion. His skin was rapidly turning black and rotting, as if he'd been touched by some kind of deadly poison.

Liu Zhi was puzzled. He looked down at his dagger. It seemed fine. He hadn't poisoned it.

Then Liu Zhi noticed the backpack, chopped in two, and the scattered contents. He began to understand what had happened.

The few things Liu Zhi had picked up from Perkin were at the top of his backpack, and they'd all been cut apart.

The pure-silver flask had been cleaved in two, spilling a black liquid.

Liu Zhi saw the liquid seep into the Jaguar Warrior's body along with his blood. It was what had turned his skin black and rotten.

Liu Zhi watched, feeling awkward and unsure of what was happening.

Just then, the Jaguar Warrior rose from the ground. His eyes had turned completely black. Though he still held the Macuahuitl, he no longer wielded it naturally. Instead, he held it like an oar.

As he started toward Liu Zhi, the Feathered Serpent, which had been watching from the side, roared at the Jaguar Warrior.

A breath carrying a strong, fishy stench rushed toward the Jaguar Warrior. His skin seemed to be shredded by Wind Blades. Blackened flesh sprayed backward from where he stood, scattering across half the platform atop the pyramid.

Then the Feathered Serpent slithered over to the Jaguar Warrior's remaining skeleton. It stared at the blackened flesh on the ground and hissed.

For some reason, Liu Zhi understood what it meant.

"Heretic. Evil spirit."

Liu Zhi took a step back, afraid the Feathered Serpent might mistake him for an accomplice and kill him too.

Fortunately, the Feathered Serpent didn't regard Liu Zhi as an enemy. It lowered its head in front of him, stared at him with its enormous eyes for a long while, then hissed out a few words.

Liu Zhi tried to dodge the tongue that was about to poke him in the face, straining to hear the Feathered Serpent's voice.

The voice sounded hollow, as if it came from the horizon, yet it also felt utterly real.

"You won. You are Kukulkan's champion. This city is yours."

Liu Zhi's heart jolted. Then the shadow before him vanished, and the Feathered Serpent returned to its original coiled position.

At the same time, three natives stood directly opposite Liu Zhi: an old man and two young men. They were dressed exactly as before, but each now held an item.

The old man held a Crystal Skull. It looked as if it had been carved from a solid block of crystal, but Liu Zhi had the feeling that it was a real skull.

The two young men behind him each held something: one carried a long staff, the other a pyramid statuette.

The staff was two meters long, made from a tree's core that had been polished smooth. It still retained the tree's natural color, and a Feathered Serpent carved from obsidian coiled around the top.

The serpent had its wings spread, and there seemed to be a socket on its back for a crystal.

The pyramid statuette was made entirely of pure gold. Its design and decorations matched the pyramid Liu Zhi stood on, only scaled down.

When the three came before Liu Zhi,

the Feathered Serpent's voice sounded again.

"What is your name?"

"Liu... Sandru. Sandru Ailanci Ide."

"Good. From today on, you are the king of this city. I name you Idd the First."

The three stepped forward with their items, ready to hand them to Liu Zhi.

Liu Zhi was about to reach out when his vision blurred. Everything disappeared before him like bubbles bursting.