Rodrigo and the others then felt the great, threatening power of the Zacateco king and took their stances. At the same time, Xólotl rose to his feet and walked toward Rodrigo, covering his face once again with his jackal mask.
“I decided to spare you from being sacrificed by Nanahuatzin only so that I might kill you with my own hands, whoever you may be,” Xólotl continued, bringing his face very close to Rodrigo’s, his gaze filled with rage.
“Rui… I mean, Rodrigo has nothing to do with your revenge!” Ana shouted furiously. “He only got that totema as a gift from that guy you’re talking about!”
“If you want to kill Rodrigo, you’ll have to face all of us,” Epona said, also approaching defiantly as she activated her totema in the form of the Grim Reaper.
“Wait, Epona,” Rodrigo said as he activated his fifth chakra and shone like a luminous star.
“If this man wants a fight, then I will be the one to defeat him. After all, I doubt he will let us pass through this kingdom peacefully,” he said.
“Rodrigo, remember that Susanoo put our lives in danger because of his pride,” Tania interrupted. “We will help you.”
“Yes, Rodrigo. We are a team,” Menrva added.
“Honestly, I don’t much like this whole team-fightin’ thing, but I’ve decided to do it while I’m with y’all,” Freyja added as she transformed into her feline deity form and turned her spear into an enormous golden staff.
Susanoo likewise drew his katana from its sheath, while Tul prepared to take something out of her bag. Meanwhile, Anpiel and Loki remained unconscious on the floor.
“Even if you were to defeat me,” Xólotl said with a laugh, “there are more Chichimeca kingdoms surrounding this land.”
Then Xólotl turned his back on Rodrigo.
“Did you see the town visible on the other side of the mountain?” he asked them.
Rodrigo nodded nervously.
“That was the kingdom of the Caxcanes, and their queen is so powerful that even I could not so much as disturb a single hair upon her head,” the Zacateco god answered himself.
“Then are you implying that, if you do not defeat us, we will die farther ahead?” Menrva asked.
“Indeed. If you wish to press onward, then do so,” Xólotl said.
“But this individual you call Rodrigo shall remain here,” he warned.
“We are not leaving, and all of us will fight beside him!” Epona and Ana shouted in unison.
The other gods nodded.
“Very well, friends of the false Ehécatl,” Xólotl replied. “Let me see what you can do against the god of the dark star.”
Then Xólotl raised his hands. Fire emanated from his left hand, electricity from his right, while his body radiated dark energy.
“That man… is he using three elements?” Menrva asked in surprise.
“I… have never seen anything like this,” Tania replied, astonished.
“I do not know whether that means he is strong, but I will fight with everything I have!” Rodrigo shouted as he teleported directly in front of Xólotl.
“Esfera de Venus (Sphere of Venus)!” Rodrigo shouted, attacking the Zacateco god before he could react.
The rear wall of the great temple was destroyed by the immensely powerful attack, while the ceiling fell in pieces. Yet none of the gods flinched at the falling stones.
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However, Xólotl, who had been launched into the air by the attack, absorbed the sphere of sacred energy with his hands wrapped in dark energy and made it vanish, leaving the god floating above the hill where they stood.
“Sacred techniques. That reminds me so much of my brother,” Xólotl said as he returned to stand before the group of gods.
“He resisted Rodrigo’s technique like it was nothing!” Epona said, terrified.
Xólotl raised his left hand and thundered:
“Tliltlatekuinalotl (Black Lightning)!”
A dark lightning bolt emanated from his hand, which the gods avoided with difficulty.
“He is combining elements!” Tania shouted as she moved through the room, avoiding the various electric bolts the Zacateco god launched.
But Rodrigo teleported above the god and, bringing his hands together, shouted:
“Tlapopolistli Ejekamalakatl (Destructive Tornado)!”
A gigantic tornado erupted from the young tannin’s hands, striking the Zacateco god head-on and, at the same time, destroying the pyramidal fortress they were in. The soldiers who were still there fled desperately to avoid being crushed by the collapsing structure.
The enormous tornado fell upon the mountain and split it in half, while the phenomenon lost strength and dissolved. Xólotl was nowhere to be seen.
“Rodrigo is undoubtedly very strong,” Menrva said in surprise.
“Of course! He’s the best!” Epona replied with a smile.
But Xólotl emerged from the rubble of the landslide that had occurred on the mountain. The god looked tired and dazed.
“Listen, Xólotl!” the young tannin shouted. “My name is Rodrigo, and I am from the kingdom of León. I have nothing to do with Ehécatl, even if I wear his totema!”
“That was one of Ehécatl’s finest techniques, and even so, you dare claim you have nothing to do with him?” Xólotl shouted furiously as he raised his power and darkened the sky.
“Day is ever answered by night, and this night shall be your descent into Mictlán,” Xólotl said. “Your life now belongs to death.”
At that moment, behind the Zacateco god, a group of black dogs appeared, their bodies emanating fire. Above him, a group of dark axolotls, emanating electricity, floated like clouds over the god. Emanations of bluish fire began rising from the ground.
Then Xólotl shouted:
“Mikistli Nahui Ollin!”
The dogs and axolotls moved toward Rodrigo at full speed. Although the young man tried to attack them with his spheres of sacred energy, the attacks did nothing to them.
When the dark creatures attacked the young man, his soul could be seen being dragged away by those infernal animals, while Rodrigo’s body lost its color.
But before Rodrigo could lose consciousness, Epona destroyed the infernal dogs and the electric axolotls with her scythe. This caused Rodrigo’s soul to return to his body.
“As long as I’m protecting Rodrigo, dirty tricks like sudden death won’t work!” Epona shouted.
Rodrigo’s face became rosy again, and he recovered his energy while the sky returned to normal. Xólotl then smiled.
“Well now, I believed you to be weaker after your battle against Nanahuatzin. Yet I see you are quite formidable,” the Zacateco king said.
Tania, Ana, Menrva, Susanoo, and Freyja gathered beside Rodrigo and Epona. Tania displayed her manticore transformation while Ana held Excalibur. Menrva carried her golden spear in one hand and the spear she had inherited from Bellona in the other. Freyja remained in her feline transformation.
“If we fight together, this man will not be able to defeat us,” Tania said, encouraged.
Everyone nodded.
Rodrigo then charged his Sphere of Venus again, but then a very interesting phenomenon occurred.
Tania’s fire power, Epona’s earth power, Ana’s dark power, Susanoo’s wind power, Menrva’s electric power, and Freyja’s combat power began to be absorbed by Rodrigo’s technique, creating a gigantic multicolored sphere filled with powerful energy from several elements.
“What’s happening?” Ana asked, puzzled.
“It is as if Rodrigo’s power is taking our energy to fight!” Menrva shouted.
“Rodrigo, how are you doing that?” Epona asked, bewildered.
“I do not know… I’m just doing it,” Rodrigo said, also looking surprised.
“This is inconceivable… It reminds me somewhat of what my brother told me, but it cannot be him,” Xólotl thought in astonishment.
Rodrigo then launched his multicolored technique with all his power, but Xólotl immediately gathered himself.
“No! It must be a coincidence, but I must not allow these people to continue growing! I shall stop them here and now!” the god said to himself, while shouting:
“Tlapoyauaktecuhtli (Evening star)!”
An enormous sphere of pure darkness emanated from Xólotl’s left hand, and he hurled it toward Rodrigo’s multicolored sphere. But the dark sphere quickly destroyed Rodrigo’s sphere, and when it collided with the group of gods, it released a tremendous explosion that shook all of Tlacuitlapán.
When the explosion dissipated, all the gods lay unconscious on the ground after receiving the full force of the devastating attack. Only Tul remained standing, since she had not participated in the battle, and the rabbit goddess trembled in terror.
“You are one of those rabbits from Mayapán, correct?” Xólotl asked the frightened goddess.
“Yes, I am one of kaansaj Ixchel’s rabbit goddesses!” the goddess shouted furiously.
“Very well, Maya goddess,” Xólotl replied. “I have decided to spare your friends’ lives, provided they can pass one trial first… a ball game.”