The Warrior of Love

"Don't be fooled by her appearance. In fact, she can barely be considered a "goddess."

Jiang Liu stood up and explained: "Leopard Man is a native belief of South America. The object of belief is an animal god with the image of a leopard warrior, who is in charge of... well, there is no special deity, just a guardian spirit with supernatural power.

In fact, it is a bit ambiguous whether it is a god or not. It is probably a spirit that is accidentally believed in by humans. "

"This guy is actually a goddess..."

Both Anna and Duan Zang had ambiguous expressions on their faces, and they looked at the leopard man with extremely complicated eyes, which were full of doubt, disbelief and regret.

"Meow?"

The leopard man himself didn't seem to be aware of it and nodded with a smile.

"That's right, meow, you are a great god! Now that you understand, then quickly offer the sacrifice. What I like is the flesh and blood that embodies the human soul. The fresher the better... In simple terms, it is the hearts of the warriors!"

"heart?"

Anna opened her eyes slightly and turned her head suddenly to look at the expressions of the people around her.

The women in the city had already hidden far away. When they heard the leopard man's words, they remained silent. Many of them lowered their heads, showing shame and sadness.

Little Medusa also participated in the Age of Gods. How could she not understand what happened after seeing this?

"Living sacrifice."

This word made the residents shudder at the same time, and Anna spoke in a deep voice, enunciating each word.

"Did you perform a human sacrifice to save your life?"

"Well……"

"Woooooooo..."

"I-There's nothing we can do!"

Some people have already had emotional breakdowns.

"We can't win against the monsters... If we don't do anything, everyone will die! This way, at least these children can..."

"As long as we obey the Forest Goddess, those monsters will not come here, and we can live in peace!"

Hearing these words, Anna's expression darkened.

The forest goddess... I don't know if it refers to Quetzalcoatl or the leopard man, but it seems that this forest goddess has made a covenant with the residents.

She takes the lives of men as sacrifices, and in return she grants the remaining people protection from the threat of monsters.

In fact, these humans have no power to resist the monsters. Although this choice is cruel in desperation, it can indeed protect women and children and minimize casualties. From a utilitarian point of view, it is a correct choice.

However, a life that is continued by sacrificing others will carry a heavy burden even if it is still alive, and it is difficult to say what the gains and losses are.

At the very least, Anna seemed to disagree with this way of life, and the gloomy atmosphere emanating from this petite girl became more and more obvious.

Jiang Liu glanced at her and then turned his attention to the leopard man.

"What is your relationship with Quetzalcoatl?"

"Ah? Did you say Kukul?"

Saying one of Quetzalcoatl's alternate names, the Leopard Man threw his head back and laughed.

"You mean the Kukul who beat me without mercy? The cold, violent, battle-crazed Kukul? My relationship with her? Of course it's quite close!"

"Specifically?"

"She gave me all my divine powers, meow! Now I'm working hard to pay off my debt!"

"So he's a freeloader." Jiang Liu suddenly realized, and understood the cause and effect between the Leopard Man and Quetzalcoatl.

Although both are South American gods, their status is vastly different.

Since they are not local gods, their actions should be greatly restricted and their divinity should be greatly discounted.

Quetzalcoatl might be able to use his own strength to summon something like a temple and establish a connection with this land, but the Leopard Man does not have that ability.

Therefore, she could only rely on Quetzalcoatl and maintain her existence by sharing divine power from Quetzalcoatl.

So, the one who demanded a living sacrifice from this city was indeed Quetzalcoatl herself... But based on Jiang Liu's impression, the goddess should not be interested in such a thing.

After pondering for a moment, Jiang Liu looked directly at the Leopard Man and asked seriously, "What exactly is the so-called living sacrifice? Have you really eaten the men in this city?"

“Kakakaka… Hehe, I’m not afraid to scare you if I tell you this, but what I like most is a warm heart—”

"Think about it before we talk."

Jiang Liu's plain words made the Leopard Man shiver, as if he was frightened by thunder.

"Don't play tricks on me, and don't say mischievous nonsense. I will treat what you say next as what actually happened, whether it is true or not, and take corresponding actions."

"Meow?!"

The leopard man kept a stiff smile, blinked, and suddenly broke out in a sweat.

“Ahhhh… Ahh, ah this… Eh? Seriously? Are you serious-nyan? Ah, why do I feel so cold… So scary! You look so scary, kid!”

Perhaps it was the instinct of the beast, or perhaps it was the influence of his super-sensitive intuition and some luck, the leopard man stopped himself in time before he could laugh and talk nonsense.

Just like being exposed to the scorching sun for several days, the doll's clothes were soaked with sweat. Although he was a spirit, the leopard man couldn't help feeling dry mouth.

Why... I feel like if I open my mouth carelessly, something more painful than Kukul's beating will happen!

"That, that..."

Looking closely, the man in front of her seemed to be someone Kukul had mentioned... the one who had defeated her in the fight?

hiss……

Not only is his strength greater than Kukul's, but why is it like he has encountered a natural enemy?

Although Kukul was also very powerful, he didn't scare me to this extent...

But don't be afraid!

After all, he is a god. Leopards (tigers) are the kings of the forest and the top of the food chain. As the top predators, he cannot lose the dignity of a carnivore.

"Why, why aren't you talking?"

Jiang Liu frowned, raised his leg and took a step forward, and an invisible momentum surged and spread.

It was the Shura aura accumulated from killing countless demon beasts, mythical beasts, dragon species, and fantasy species. With the bonus of "Enemy of Beasts", it pierced into the heart of the leopard man like a materialized sword.

"Do you need me to repeat the question?"

"Meow-"

His legs trembled, the leopard man's eyes blurred, and he immediately lay on the ground like a lazy cat, with his belly facing the sky.

"Hey! I didn't do anything, meow. I just helped Kukul! Those men didn't die either, they were just ravaged by Kukul every day... If you give me food, meow can even lead you to the way. I know where the Kukul Temple is!"

Chapter 624: It must be very painful!

Passing through the dense forest, under the guidance of the leopard man, the group soon found the temple of Quetzalcoatl. But before that, Jiang Liu and his group first passed through a square.

After they appeared, many men immediately surrounded them from all directions. They were the male residents who had been "sacrificed" before.

After some questioning, I found out that these men seemed to have been trapped near the temple. Although they had lost their freedom, their lives were not in danger, and magical beasts would not roam here.

The only downside is that Quetzalcoatl often picks out some of them to wrestle with her, dealing them a fatal blow but also blessing them with resurrection, as if she were torturing them on purpose, making them suffer countless blows but unable to get relief.

The leopard man explained that Quetzalcoatl was warlike by nature and just wanted to ravage others. Anna and Duan Zang were very angry, but Jiang Liu seemed to be thinking about something and gradually understood something.

Soon, the group got rid of the men in the square, crossed a forest path and arrived at the real residence of Quetzalcoatl.

Although it is a temple, this building located in the dense forest is completely different from the ordinary people's impression of a magnificent palace-like building.

It was a weathered and grand pyramid. It did not look particularly sacred or dazzling, and was even somewhat dilapidated, with signs of abandonment visible everywhere.

Different from the pyramids in ancient Egypt, the pyramids here are closer to the Mayan style and are composed of layers of steps. Compared with the Egyptian pharaohs who used the pyramids as tombs, the pyramids here seem to have a stronger meaning of "sacrifice".

Of course, this was not the most eye-catching thing. What attracted the attention of Jiang Liu and others at the first time was a stone battle axe half buried in the ground.

Yes, a stone axe, thrown here casually as if it had been discarded by someone. It was not a rare thing, but its size was too exaggerated.

Although a section of the axe blade was buried in the soil, the part exposed above the ground plus the handle was still as high as the pyramid... or even higher?

If this is not some kind of spectacular building, but an axe that has really been used by someone, then the person who can swing it must have a towering figure who can step on thousands of mountains!

"That is……"

He could sense an indescribable hidden aura from the axe, which was as heavy as the earth yet as sharp as the wind. Jiang Liu couldn't help but glance sideways, unable to look away for a long time.

Not only him, but even Anna and Duan Zang could see the extraordinary nature of this stone axe. Duan Zang even mistakenly thought that it was the weapon of Quetzalcoatl, and secretly began to worry about Jiang Liu.

"that?"

The Leopard Man, the only one who could be said to be familiar with this place, couldn't help but reveal a smug expression when he saw the three people's surprised looks, and introduced it in a boastful tone.

"This axe was originally here and has nothing to do with Kukul."

The female ninja was surprised and said, "Isn't this the goddess's weapon? With such an exaggerated size, I thought..."

"No, the temple was summoned by Kukul, but this axe was not."

The leopard man shook his head: "Kukul seemed to have said that although she could use this axe, it seemed quite troublesome, so she just left it here."

"Does this axe have a name?" Jiang Liu suddenly asked.

"Eh? The name... um, it seems..."

"Marduk's hand axe - no particular name."

A voice with a strange accent came from the top of the temple. With its back to the dazzling sunlight, a strange and gorgeous figure walked down step by step.

"God of the distant country, do you want it?"

“I really want it.”

Jiang Liu nodded honestly: "It just doesn't fit my hand very well. I plan to come back for it later."

"Oh haha...you are really calm."

As if on purpose, Quetzalcoatl laughed twice in an exaggerated manner.

"You can't take either those men or this axe from my territory without my permission."

"I guessed it too." Jiang Liu looked into his eyes, gazing deeply into those emerald green eyes.

"But we've already fought one before, so there's no point in fighting again, right?"

"You speak as if you will definitely win. This is a different time. The goddess can exert great power in the temple. You should remember it with your own body!"

Quetzalcoatl held his waist and looked down at Jiang Liu and others, and suddenly stared at the leopard man.

"You... you led them here?"

"Don't blame me, Kukul."

The leopard man frowned, looking as if he was about to cry.

"This man forced me to do this. If I didn't lead the way, he would burn all my beautiful fur!"

"You don't have fur to begin with, it's just clothing!"

"Oh, is that so... Hehe, it doesn't matter."

The leopard man put away his pitiful expression of being bullied, and instead became full of self-satisfaction, pointing the ball-shaped spear at Quetzalcoatl.

"Kukul, I advise you to surrender immediately! It's not certain who will win or lose if you fight me alone, but if he joins us, you will definitely lose!"

Quetzalcoatl: "..."

"Yeah, now that you've seen the situation clearly, be smart and hand over all the delicious food quickly!"

The leopard man actually rushed out and shouted confidently: "Whether it's meat or fruit, they all belong to me. It's time to lose weight, you old——"

A blue vein suddenly popped up on Quetzalcoatl's forehead, and when he raised his right hand, a black shadow flew out and hit the Leopard Man in the face before Jiang Liu could even react.

Bang!

The black shadow smashed the leopard man's head into the stone slab, and the figure in the oversized doll costume stopped moving in a somersault position.

“Ugh…” It hurts just looking at it—Jiang Liu and the other two secretly took a deep breath.

"Isn't he dead?"

"Danzo's detection circuit can sense that there are still life fluctuations... He should not be dead yet, right?"