Divine Smoke curled upward, spreading a relaxing scent. Waves of cheers lingered around the towering, sacred altar.
Yet even smelling the fragrance of the Divine Smoke and hearing the shouts of tens of thousands of soldiers could not put Kuluka, standing high above, at ease. He felt an indescribable bitterness slowly spread from his heart to the corners of his mouth. His thoughts spun rapidly, his eyes flickering bright and dark, and then he suddenly gripped the sacrificial Obsidian Dagger and pressed it against his own heart!
"Honored God of War Elder!... You are forcing me to leap into the bottomless Abyss! It seems that, to preserve the Alliance and the kingdom, I can only sacrifice myself and die upon this sacrificial altar!..."
"Mm? Leap into the bottomless Abyss and sacrifice himself?!..."
Hearing such words, God of War Elder Yazar raised an eyebrow, truly finding it somewhat unbelievable. He had honestly never expected that this legion commander before him, who looked like a monkey and was born a commoner, could actually see the shape of this political struggle so clearly, and grasp the crux of this contest!
"The political struggle between the Divine King and Prince Xolotl must always stand upon the supreme height of sanctity and tradition, maintaining a close master-and-vassal alliance—struggling without breaking apart! The Divine King must apply pressure step by step, always ensuring that the prince remains his wing, neither allowing the wing to grow into a head that truly threatens him, nor personally snapping off his own wing..."
"If this Kuluka insists on refusing the Divine King's enfeoffment and defies the authority of the Alliance and the High Priest Council... then the Alliance can naturally act with a proper name and just cause, dispatch the Royal Legion, interfere in the campaign around the Lake Chapala