Months earlier, in Aztlán.
In the middle of an ocher prairie with little vegetation and dry grasslands, the mighty Itzpapálotl bowed before Anat and her retinue of malak soldiers.
The region of Aztlán, still unknown to many natives of the area, was hidden within the ecotone between the great desert of what is now Arizona and the beautiful forests of California. There, great Huitzilopochtli had his small kingdom. However, Anat had invited the Chichimeca kingdoms to this small dry paradise to speak about her plans for expansion.
Behind Itzpapálotl, the other Chichimeca kings, Cihuacóatl, Tonatiuh, Uichilat, Camaxtli, Mayáhuel, and Chantico, the different rulers of the Chichimeca kingdoms, swore loyalty to the Phoenician goddess. Behind them, armies of Caxcan Chichimecas, whom the butterfly goddess had brought with her, drew the interest of the eldest daughter of the god El.
The soldiers did not bow, and despite Anat’s powerful pressure, they remained motionless. The Phoenician goddess approached one of them and decapitated him with her katana. However, aside from the murdered man, no soldier showed any emotion or surprise.
“It is a shame that such well-trained soldiers are only human,” Anat said while looking at her new allies kneeling before her.
“Tell me, is there anyone among you who knows how to awaken divine powers in humans?” the goddess asked, intrigued and curious.
“I… I know how,” Cihuacóatl replied nervously, without lifting her face from the ground.
“But… they only awaken a very low level… they are only useful in Ball Games,” the Chichimeca goddess added nervously.
Anat looked at the soldiers. Impassive and devoid of emotion. The goddess smiled.
“Then I will give you a method by which you can share your divine power along with their awakening… would you like to know how?”
Cihuacóatl’s eyes shone with surprise.
“That… could even benefit me with my ability!” the serpent goddess replied.
Anat then sat on a rock before the gods and crossed her legs.
“Very well. Consider this a gift to your people,” she said.
Back in the present.
The Caxcan soldiers began to surround the area, emerging from within the protected zone of Ana's pocket dimension. They came out from among the rocks with great determination. Their lack of emotion made them appear as an invincible army.
Also, from among the debris and the sea of lava, the monstrous two-headed serpent, Maquizcoatl, emerged. It had turned a magma-red color after absorbing fire and heat, and it melted everything it touched as it passed.
The Caxcan soldiers, just like the Otomí soldiers, entered the lava without difficulty. Both armies clashed violently, and a merciless war began over the ruins of Tula.
However, the Caxcan warriors had far greater power and were more adept at war. With their spears, they began decimating the disorganized Otomí army, while the latter also perished beneath the energy arrows of the Chichimeca warriors.
On the other hand, the monstrous serpent Maquizcoatl used its two heads to catch the Otomí warriors and devour them. Since the serpent was covered in magma, the soldiers melted in its jaws as if they were nothing but balls of fat.
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To add to the danger, the fallen Otomí soldiers rose again as undead and joined the ranks of the Caxcan warriors. Otontecutli’s strategy had failed.
“Well, let us give our Caxcan warriors a little help now,” Chantico said with a smile.
But before the goddess could fire a ray of flame from her fingers, Xólotl kicked her in the back, throwing her away.
“Listen, Otontecutli!” Xólotl shouted furiously at the Otomí king. “I will take care of that cheap goddess. You defeat those Caxcan warriors.”
But Otontecutli was kneeling on the ground, completely frustrated and defeated.
“No, it is impossible! We cannot win!” he said.
“Idiot!” Xólotl replied furiously. “You are the leader of the Otomí people, are you not? Then act like it!”
But the Otomí king was nervous as he watched his men fall before the Caxcans’ arrows.
“Your people are among the oldest in this region. They are proud and powerful. Transmit that to your people as the leader you are!” Quetzalcóatl’s brother shouted at the top of his lungs.
Otontecutli immediately came to his senses and stood again. Although his legs trembled, he knew it was his duty to lead his men to victory.
When Xólotl saw the change in Otontecutli’s expression, he smiled and flew off to face Chantico.
Meanwhile, Ixchel, Tajín, and Tlatlauhaqui continued moving through Tollan’s labyrinthine passages, but armies of Nahuas and tzitzimime blocked their path. Even so, they did not represent a very serious threat to them.
But just as they continued advancing, Cihuacóatl teleported in front of them, her expression full of anger and annoyance.
“Could you not stay still inside your cells, you damn idiots?” the Chichimeca goddess shouted furiously.
“Are you Cihuacóatl, the beast manipulator?” Ixchel asked as she entered a combat stance.
But the goddess did not answer. She was panting and looked very tired. She had consumed a large part of her energy to awaken the divine power of the Caxcan warriors.
“I do not understand what you intend to accomplish with that half-dead look of yours,” Tajín said. “Withdraw, and we will spare your life.”
“Indeed, I no longer have much strength to face you,” the Chichimeca goddess said. “But a cornered animal is always more dangerous.”
“AND WHAT DO YOU INTEND TO DO WITH SUCH A LOW LEVEL?!” Tlatlauhaqui asked in his usual elevated tone.
“Kolotikuikatl (Hero's Song),” the Chichimeca goddess said.
Then chants were heard throughout the cave. They were war chants.
Cihuacóatl’s body shone as if it were a star while the goddess twisted in pain. However, the three gods realized that the Chichimeca goddess’s power was increasing exponentially with every passing second.
“As a warrior goddess, I reserve my best tactics for moments of desperation,” Cihuacóatl said as she stood again, though panting and with a gaze as if full of madness.
“This is dangerous,” Tajín said nervously. “Her power has increased enormously.”
“Oh, yes,” Cihuacóatl replied with a smile. “But you still have not seen everything.”
Then the goddess’s appearance began to change as she grew enormously in size. Her body began transforming into that of a huge serpent with red eyes, and poisonous acid emanated from her mouth. Her body was so large that it destroyed the catacombs where the three gods stood.
Her body was covered in poisonous spikes, and black lines marked her greenish-yellow skin. Cihuacóatl’s red eyes stared madly at the three gods.
“It was to be expected that she would be a coateotl,” Ixchel said nervously as she watched the grotesque creature begin moving through Tollan’s complicated underground tunnels.
“Furthermore, with her increase in power and her transformation into a serpent, our odds have become somewhat low… I must admit,” Tajín said nervously, thinking that he might never see his wives again.
“DAMN SHIT BEAST!” Tlatlauhaqui shouted, hurling a ball of energy into the creature’s mouth. But it only caused minimal damage.
Cihuacóatl hissed in rage as her movements shook the deep catacombs. Immediately afterward, the goddess hurled her jaws at Tlatlauhaqui, who used a kind of red cloud to stop the charge with difficulty.
Tajín then created a kind of electric cone above himself and fired what looked like a laser beam from it while shouting:
“Maustlanextli (Holy Light)!”
But the attack did no damage to the gigantic serpent, which continued clamping its enormous jaws onto the cloud created by the Zapotec god.
Ixchel then raised her right hand and fired her purifying beam while shouting:
“Kili’ich uj léets (Sacred Radiance of the Moon)!”
The attack hurt Cihuacóatl considerably, forcing her to leave Tlatlauhaqui behind and quickly retreat from there, hiding among the shadows.
“SHE IS NOT DEFEATED!” Tlatlauhaqui shouted. “SHE WILL SURELY ATTACK US BY SURPRISE NOW!”
And the Zapotec god was right. A kind of dark dimension appeared behind Tlatlauhaqui, and Cihuacóatl’s gigantic serpent head emerged from behind him, biting him with her sharp fangs.
The poison rapidly coursed through the Zapotec god’s body, and he immediately stopped breathing.