The Eyrie, soaring into the clouds, was swept by a biting wind.
A piece of news, carried by a weary raven from the direction of The Bloody Gate, completely shattered the false revelry that had just ignited here.
The Bloody Gate was gone.
Not breached, not burned.
It was just gone.
Wiped directly from the map of Westeros by a Frost Giant with a single punch.
Then, that wildling army, possessing unrivaled power, simply left.
As if they were just passing by, casually demolishing an obstructive illegal structure.
In the Moon Door Garden, the nobles of the Vale, who had been cheering for the "certain victory in the duel" just moments before, now all looked like chickens with their necks wrung.
Their faces were pale, and not a sound was heard.
What exactly did that man named Lynn want to do?
He clearly possessed the power to easily crush the entire Vale, yet he chose a method that was almost like mockery, playing a game of duels with them.
And they had actually believed him.
They thought they had grasped a life-saving straw.
Little did they know, it was merely the tip of a dragon's claw, playing with them.
"He… he is humiliating us!"
A young knight's face flushed red, his voice trembling with anger and fear.
"Shut up!"
Ser Gravson roared, interrupting him.
The old knight's face was equally grim.
But in his cloudy eyes, there was a complex emotion that others couldn't understand.
Humiliation?
No.
If Lynn truly wanted to humiliate them.
He only needed to let that dragon circle above The Eyrie, and let that giant treat the Mountains of the Moon as his backyard for a stroll.
Their dignity, their honor, would be worn away day by day in fear.
But Lynn didn't.
He gave them a choice.
A choice that seemed absurd, yet was the only one that could preserve their last shred of dignity.
A duel.
"He isn't humiliating us,"
Ser Grady's voice was heavy.
"He is… giving us a way out."
This statement stunned everyone present.
"He is telling us how powerful he is in a way we cannot refuse."
"And he is ending this war in a way we can accept."
Ser Marq Arryn sighed deeply, his face full of bitterness.
"If we win, we keep the Vale."
"If we lose, we submit to a king with god-like power, yet also with benevolence."
"No matter win or lose, we… won't look too bad."
Everyone fell silent.
They finally understood Lynn's intention.
This king-beyond-the-wall had never regarded them as true enemies from beginning to end.
Everything he did was to integrate the forces of the entire Westeros with the least cost.
And they were merely a chess piece on this grand board, one that needed to be "persuaded."
Having understood this, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness, mixed with an indescribable hint of relief, enveloped the hearts of every Vale noble.
"Stop thinking about it, prepare for the duel."
Ser Grady slowly drew the greatsword stuck in the ground, and battle intent rekindled in his old eyes.
"Since Earl Lynn has given us the chance to defend our honor, we cannot disappoint him."
"Bring forth the strongest warriors of the Vale, release Bronze Yohn!"
"In this battle, we will fight for the honor of the Vale!"
...The Moon Door Garden had already been transformed into a temporary arena.
The exotic flowers and plants here had long been destroyed by the invisible scorching dragon's breath released by Winter.
A thick layer of yellow sand had also been spread over the leveled ground.
One hundred Vale knights, clad in polished heavy armor and armed with the finest weapons, formed an impenetrable steel phalanx.
They were the strongest warriors in the entire Vale.
Leading them was none other than Bronze Yohn Royce, who had just been released from the sky cells.
This Earl of Runestone was tall and imposing.
Although he had just endured imprisonment, his eyes were still as sharp as an eagle's.
He simply stood there, like an unshakeable mountain.
Beside him were Gravson, Royce, and all the renowned knights and warriors from the various great families of the Vale.
This was a formidable lineup that would make any army quail!
However, when their opponent appeared, everyone felt that the scene was utterly absurd.
Lynn was still in casual clothes, not even wearing leather armor.
Behind him followed nine mysterious "guards" in black cloaks, their faces obscured.
Ten people, standing loosely.
This formed an incredibly stark contrast with the formidable hundred-man knight order opposite them.
"Lord Lynn,"
Bronze Yohn spoke, his voice like a great bell.
"It's not too late to back out now."
Although he didn't know what had happened outside these past three days, he had heard about the rules of this duel.
He also found it absurd.
"Why would I back out?"
Lynn smiled, as if listening to an amusing joke.
He walked to the center of the arena, planted a candle in the sand, and personally lit it with a flint.
The orange flame flickered in the wind.
"The candle is lit, the duel begins."
"In my opinion, this duel is over before it even started."
Lynn finished speaking, stepped aside, and even found a chair to sit down leisurely.
He casually waved his hand at one of the black-robed figures behind him.
"Go on, play with these knight lords."
"Go easy, don't break them."
The black-robed figure bowed slightly.
Then, it walked with a stiff gait, alone, to the center of the arena.
Silence.
The entire garden instantly fell silent.
Everyone's smiles froze on their faces.
Bronze Yohn's voice was also stuck in his throat.
What did they see?
Ten against a hundred, they already thought it was a huge humiliation.
Now, the other side only sent one?
What does this mean?
What on earth does this mean?!
Is this saying that all one hundred of their strongest Vale warriors combined are only worthy of fighting one of their opponent's servants?
Bronze Yohn trembled with rage.
Humiliation, ultimate humiliation!
This instantly ignited the fury of all the knights!
"Kill!"
No further pre-battle motivation was needed!
The nearest dozen knights let out beast-like roars and charged from all directions towards that solitary black-robed figure!
Gleaming sword edges and heavy battleaxes, accompanied by piercing whistles through the air, sealed all its escape routes from different angles!
However, the black-robed figure remained motionless.
It stood there quietly, as if the attacks before it, which were enough to tear any heavily armored infantry to shreds, were merely a gentle breeze.
Just as the first longsword was about to touch its hood.
It slowly raised its right hand.
"Buzz—"
A visible deep blue cold mist erupted from its palm!
The air temperature instantly dropped to freezing point!
Under everyone's horrified gaze.
A sword, a longsword made entirely of pure ice, condensed out of thin air in its hand!
The sword's design was eerie yet elegant, its blade covered with mysterious patterns like frost flowers, emanating a deathly stillness capable of freezing the soul!
This seemed to be a weapon no longer belonging to the mortal realm!
"Clang—!"
The first knight to reach it swung his longsword fiercely onto the ice sword.
There were no sparks, no clang of metal.
Only a crisp sound like shattering glass!
The knight's steel longsword, upon contact with the ice sword, was instantly frozen, brittle, and then... shattered into pieces!
Before the astonishment on the knight's face could fully register, the ice sword sliced through the air in a graceful arc, too fast for the eye to follow.
"Pfft."
A sound so faint it was almost inaudible.
The knight's body stiffened in place.
A frost-covered cut appeared between his head and his body.
Then, it slowly slid off.
One sword.
Instant kill!
The entire garden was silent.
Everyone's minds went blank.
However, the nightmare had only just begun.
The black-robed figure moved.
Every movement was as swift as a ghost, every sword swing precise and deadly.
"Clang! Clang! Clang!"
More weapons collided with the ice sword, and without exception, shattered into fragments.
Whether it was an ordinary steel sword or a castle-forged steel sword treasured by nobles, they were all as brittle as rotten wood before that eerie ice sword.
One knight tried to block with his heavy tower shield.
The ice sword merely tapped it lightly.
"Crack!"
The entire shield, along with the armor behind him, was instantly brittle and pierced through, turning into fragments on the ground!
The cold sword tip emerged from his back, trailing a plume of ice-blue blood mist.
Slaughter!
This was a one-sided slaughter!
The first few knights who charged forward had all fallen within less than ten breaths!
Their bodies were all covered with a thick layer of frost, and their faces still held the extreme fear and disbelief from their dying moments.
"Devil… this is a devil!"
Screams of terror erupted from the crowd.
The nobles who had been clamoring earlier were now pale with fright, scrambling backward, terrified of getting too close to that black grim reaper.
"Everyone, charge! All of you!"
Bronze Yohn finally snapped out of his shock, letting out a hysterical roar.
"He's only one! We are a hundred! We can wear him down to death!"
After a brief moment of fear, the remaining knights were also forced into a frenzy.
They roared, forming an impenetrable encirclement, and launched a desperate charge towards the black-robed figure!
However, they were facing a monster that knew no fatigue and feared no pain.
It had no breath, no heartbeat.
Its stamina seemed endless.
A battleaxe struck its shoulder from behind, but only produced a dull thud, unable to even make its figure sway.
Instead, the battleaxe shattered due to the power of ice.
And the knight who ambushed it, one second was staring blankly at his empty hand, the next second was split in half, man and armor, by the Other's retaliatory sword strike!
"Stop!"
Lynn's voice rang out faintly.
The black-robed figure, who was slaughtering all around, instantly paused.
Its ice sword stopped before a knight's throat.
The cold emanating from the sword tip had already condensed a layer of white frost on the knight's neck.
Just one more step, and he would die on the spot.
"I said, don't break them."
Lynn's voice carried a hint of "just right" reproach.
"It's just a spar, breaking their arms and legs is enough."
"You're truly heavy-handed."
The black-robed figure silently turned around and bowed slightly in Lynn's direction.
Then, it charged again at the knights who were now completely engulfed in fear and chaos.
This time, it no longer aimed for the kill.
The ice sword's edge was replaced by its flat side.
"Bang!"
A knight was sent flying by a sword strike, his chest armor caved in significantly, spitting blood, and falling to the ground.
"Crack!"
Another knight's arm was directly broken at an unnatural angle.
The black-robed figure no longer killed.
But the fear it brought was even more intense than before!
It was toying with them!
Like a cat playing with a mouse, it toyed with these top knights of Westeros!
Bronze Yohn's eyes turned red.
He let out a beast-like roar and charged again.
However, this time, the black-robed figure didn't even use its sword.
It merely extended its left hand and casually grabbed Bronze Yohn's incoming sword blade.
The steel sword made a grating "sizzle" sound upon contact with the hand made of ice.
Then, under Bronze Yohn's disbelieving gaze.
The black-robed figure squeezed with its five fingers.
"Clang!"
The steel sword was actually… crushed into fragments by its bare hand!?
Time seemed to stand still at this moment.
Everyone stared blankly at the broken sword hilt lying on the ground.
Staring at Lynn, who was still seated in his chair, a faint smile on his face.
The candle had only burned down less than a tenth.
And their strongest hundred-man knight order had already been routed by a single opponent.
Their honor, their courage, everything they had, vanished without a trace.
"This… this is… what kind of monster…"
Ser Grady's voice trembled beyond recognition.
Lynn stood up, clapped the dust from his hands, and walked to the center of the arena.
He pointed at the black-robed figure, who was holding Bronze Yohn by the neck, suspended in mid-air with one hand.
"This one, only counts as one."
Then, Lynn slowly turned and pointed at the eight black-robed figures behind him who had remained motionless throughout.
Everyone's gaze followed.
The next second.
A scene that no one would ever forget occurred.
The eight black-robed figures seemed to receive a silent command.
With perfectly synchronized movements, down to the millisecond, they simultaneously raised their right hands.
"Buzz—"
Eight ice longswords, identical to the one in the arena, shimmering with an eerie blue glow, condensed out of thin air in their hands!
Their tips pointed uniformly towards the sky!
Dead silence.
The cold emanating from the eight ice swords dropped the temperature of the entire Moon Door Garden to freezing point.
And plunged the hearts of all the people of the Vale into an endless abyss.
Lynn looked at their faces, twisted by extreme fear, and his smile became meaningful.
He pointed at himself.
"By the way."
"This, doesn't even count me."
As Lynn finished speaking, ice armor began to cover his body, and two greatswords made of ice condensed out of thin air in his left and right palms.
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