Sandor did not choose to clash head-on with this berserk beast.
He moved with agility, using the range advantage of his longsword to constantly seek new openings in the Mountain's armor.
The blade scraped across the Mountain's plate again and again, sending sparks flying.
But Gregor seemed to have completely abandoned defense, focused solely on catching Sandor.
His wounds were bleeding, and his steps were staggering from the leg injury.
But this only made him crazier, more reckless!
The atmosphere in the stands was tense to the extreme.
Everyone held their breath, staring unblinkingly at the two figures tangled in combat.
One heavy and violent as a mountain, the other agile and deadly.
BANG!
After a dangerous dodge, the Mountain's massive fist grazed Sandor's cheek and smashed heavily into the stone railing behind him.
A loud crash!
And Sandor, to avoid this heavy blow, stumbled, his body uncontrollably crashing into a huge brazier used for lighting nearby!
A wave of scorching heat rushed over him.
The roaring flames magnified instantly in Sandor's pupils!
BOOM——!
Sandor's mind went blank in an instant.
Time seemed to stop at this moment.
The tsunami-like roar of the crowd seemed to disappear.
Gregor's twisted, hideous face also vanished.
In his world, only the orange-red flames capable of devouring everything remained.
That night twenty years ago surfaced clearly before his eyes once again.
Just because his younger self played with Gregor's toy, Gregor pressed his face into the fire, ruining half of it!
He seemed to smell his own burnt flesh.
He heard Gregor's excited and cruel laughter.
He felt the scorching pain that penetrated deep into his marrow, the pain he wanted to escape but couldn't, the pain he would never forget!
"Ah..."
A moan filled with endless terror escaped Sandor's throat.
The hand holding his sword began to tremble uncontrollably.
His grey eyes, usually full of violence and disdain, were now filled with a child's terror and helplessness.
He was afraid of fire.
This was the deepest fear in his heart.
It was the nightmare he could never escape!
The Mountain noticed Sandor's abnormality.
In his eyes hidden under the helm, a cruel pleasure flashed.
He found it!
He found this bastard brother's most fatal weakness!
"Haha... Hahahaha!"
The Mountain let out a low, manic laugh.
He didn't attack; instead, he took a step back, ignoring the heat, and grabbed the huge brazier!
WHOOSH——!
With all his might, he smashed the entire brazier toward Sandor!
Burning charcoal and roaring flames instantly turned the ground around Sandor into a sea of fire!
"NO!!!"
Sandor let out a despairing scream.
He instinctively retreated, wanting to get away from the fire that made his soul tremble.
But as fast as he retreated, the fear in his heart spread just as quickly!
His movements became stiff, his breathing rapid; his fighting spirit burned clean away by that fire in this instant!
"It's over."
On the high platform.
The stiffness on Petyr Baelish's face melted instantly, replaced by that confident smile.
He raised his goblet, toasting Lynn from afar.
The curve of his lips was full of contempt and mockery.
Do you see?
This is the gap.
He admitted Sandor was strong; he had underestimated him before.
But in the face of true fear, brilliant calculations and amazing martial prowess were just a joke.
Sandor was doomed to lose!
The Queen of Thorns, Lady Olenna of Highgarden, frowned slightly, whispering to Margaery beside her.
"It seems our Northern friend is about to lose his first chip."
Margaery didn't speak.
Her beautiful brown eyes were locked tight on Lynn.
Her gaze held a faint worry.
But to her astonishment, she found no panic or loss of composure on Lynn's face.
He even... closed his eyes.
What was he doing?
Giving up?
This disappointed Margaery somewhat.
Just as everyone thought the outcome was set.
All the noise around Lynn, Petyr's smug face, Robert's anxious roaring, Sansa's worried gaze...
All faded from his senses in this moment.
His consciousness transformed into an invisible thread, piercing through the barrier of space, accurately probing into Sandor's mental world filled with fear and fire.
Warg!
Lynn didn't choose insidious ice magic for his interference; instead, he chose the warging ability.
He didn't want a Sandor with weaknesses.
He wanted a truly fearless warrior!
To be fearless, Sandor had to face his fear!
[SANDOR!]
A cold, majestic voice exploded like thunder in Sandor's chaotic mind!
Sandor, tortured by his childhood nightmare, trembled violently.
This voice... Lord Lynn?!
Why is he in my head??
[Raise your head!]
Lynn's voice forcibly pulled Sandor out of that sea of fiery memories.
[Look in front of you!]
[That isn't the brazier from twenty years ago!]
[That fire isn't your nightmare; it is your enemy's weapon!]
Sandor's consciousness struggled violently.
He saw, behind the dancing flames, Gregor approaching him step by step.
Gregor's face wore a cruel, cat-playing-with-mouse smile.
[Do you want to live in his shadow forever?]
[Do you want everyone to see you played to death like a dog by the thing you fear most?]
[What about your twenty years of hatred? Your twenty years of day and night self-torture?!]
[Just because of this little fire, you're going to give up?!]
Lynn's voice branded itself deep into Sandor's soul.
No!
I don't want to!
I don't want to be a coward anymore!
A hotter, more violent emotion exploded from Sandor's chest!
It was a hatred suppressed for twenty years, hot enough to burn everything!
[That's it!]
Lynn's consciousness felt the change in Sandor's emotions.
[Your hatred is hotter than that fire, sharper than your sword!]
[That isn't the fire that burned you, Sandor!]
Lynn's consciousness guided Sandor, making him look at the sea of fire again.
[That is the fire of your vengeance!]
[Go! Pick it up! Use it to ignite your sword! Use it to cut down everything in front of you!]
[Let your brother Gregor, let all your enemies, let the whole world see!]
[You are NOT a dog!]
The moment the words fell!
Guided by Lynn, Sandor's grey eyes, dilated from fear, suddenly refocused!
In them, all fear and cowardice had vanished.
Replaced by a near-mad resolve!
He stopped retreating.
Under everyone's incredulous gaze, he actively stepped forward, one foot into the burning sea of fire!
He stabbed his longsword fiercely into a piece of burning charcoal on the ground!
Sandor slowly raised his head, looking through the dancing flames at the brother approaching step by step.
On his hideously burned half-face, a ghastly smile split open.
"Gregor."
"You like fire, don't you?"
"Today, I'll let you taste what it's like to burn!"
Sandor yanked out the red-hot longsword, his whole body charging actively at the Mountain!
In his hand was no longer an ordinary knight's sword.
But a branding iron burning with the flames of vengeance!
On the high platform, the smile on Petyr Baelish's face froze again.
The goblet in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, shattering.
He looked at Sandor, bathed in flames like a demon returned from hell, and fear appeared in his always-calculating grey-green eyes!
This world... what the fuck is happening?
Wasn't Sandor scared witless?
Who gave him the guts to stand up again?
The Mountain was also shocked by Sandor's earth-shattering transformation.
Facing the longsword stabbing at him with searing heat and endless hate, the Mountain instinctively raised his arm to block.
Splurt!
The red-hot blade, carrying clever force, easily tore through the thick leather armor on his arm.
The tip sank deep into his flesh!
Sizzle——!!!
The smell of burnt meat instantly filled the air.
"ARGH——!!!"
The Mountain let out a scream more miserable and painful than any before!
It was the agony of flesh being cooked alive!
He tried frantically to shake Sandor off, but Sandor was like a hungry wolf clamped onto prey's throat, refusing to let go even in death!
Using all his strength, he twisted the red-hot sword viciously inside the flesh!
"AAAAHHH!!!"
The Mountain went completely mad!
Abandoning all defense, he smashed his other good arm viciously at Sandor's head!
A trace of ruthlessness flashed in Sandor's eyes!
He didn't dodge, abandoning defense as well, using his shoulder to take the blow head-on!
Crack!
The sound of bone shattering was clearly audible.
Sandor's left shoulder collapsed instantly, and he spat a large mouthful of blood.
But he didn't fall!
He used this ruined arm in exchange for the complete destruction of the Mountain's arm!
Mutually assured destruction!
Life for life!
Sandor used the most tragic way to drag this arrogant beast down to the same level as himself!
"Madmen! They are all madmen!"
Petyr Baelish stood up from his seat, losing composure.
Lynn slowly opened his eyes, looking at him calmly, as if looking at a dead man.
In the arena, the battle had entered a fever pitch, and also its bloodiest stage.
Both men were heavily injured, yet they continued to tear at each other like wild beasts.
The Mountain lost the advantage of two arms; Sandor also had only one hand movable.
The Mountain headbutted, bit!
Sandor smashed with the pommel, kicked!
Blood stained the ground red, and everyone's eyes too.
This was no longer a duel.
This was a blood feud that wouldn't end until death!
Finally, after a savage collision, the Mountain's massive body, due to blood loss and severe pain, could support itself no longer and crashed to the ground!
Sandor dragged his heavily injured body, trembling as he walked to Gregor.
Sandor looked down at the brother he had hated for twenty years. In his grey eyes was the pleasure of revenge.
He raised his sword high.
"It's over."
Sandor whispered, then used his last bit of strength to aim the tip at the eye slit of the Mountain's helm, stabbing down viciously!
However, just as the tip was about to enter.
The Mountain, who should have lost all strength, suddenly burst with terrifying ferocity in his bloodshot eyes!
Using the very last of his strength, his charred arm moved like an iron clamp, lightning-fast, grabbing Sandor's wrist holding the sword!
At the same time, his other hand clamped tightly around Sandor's throat!
"If I die... we die together!!!"
The Mountain roared like a hellish ghost.
Using all his strength, he yanked Sandor's head violently toward his own hideous face!