After defeating his opponents one by one, Cole decided to take a break.
The morale of the Black Party was greatly boosted. The nobles in the audience cheered without hesitation, excited by the outcome. Rhaenyra, however, looked listless and uninterested. She looked at Laena beside her. The other party sipped wine, appearing noble and elegant from beginning to end.
Ding ding!
The referee struck the gong, and the bloated figure in the red robe began to walk back and forth.
"The next contestant in the duel is Ser Gawyn Hightower from Oldtown."
His voice rose and fell, arousing the audience's interest. Gawyn rode a white horse out of the preparation area. He was handsome, with golden curly hair and green eyes. His pretty face was vividly expressive. As soon as he appeared on stage, he attracted cheers from many noblewomen.
Ding ding!
The referee raised the gong high and announced, "Please welcome the next contestant to the duel: the mysterious Rune Knight!"
The mysterious knight is also known as the masked knight. He refused to reveal his identity and participated in the tournament under a disguised name. The last famous mysterious knight in the Seven Kingdoms was the 16-year-old "Brave Baelon."
"It's going to be a good show."
The noble lords stared at the preparation area, excited. All mysterious knights are very capable. After achieving a good result, they want to remove their helmets and reveal their true appearance so they can become famous in the Seven Kingdoms.
"Please, Rune Knight!"
The referee banged the gong, deliberately raising the atmosphere.
In the preparation area, a fiery red warhorse walked out slowly. Its hair was slightly frizzy, and its mane resembled an upside-down brush. A tall figure in silver-gray armor rode the horse.
"Oh!"
The noble lords booed when they saw it. The armor and warhorse were too ordinary. The armor was brand new and had a classic tin-can shape. It also had a black cloak. The thin, fiery red warhorse kicked its front hooves restlessly.
At first glance, the knight looked poor and hungry. Who was he?
The vassal allies of Runestone City stood and stared at the emblem on the Rune Knight's chest. "A towering mountain with a white city built at its foot."
"It seems to be Your Highness." Bartimos walked over quietly.
Gunthor, William, Adrian, and the others remained silent and recognized the Riverdale Town and Lonely Mountain on the emblem.
In the VIP seat, Laena pursed her red lips, and her beautiful eyes showed joy. The armor was somewhat rustic, but its quality was obvious.
Rhaenyra lowered her head and didn't look at it.
"It's a masked knight who looks like he wants to fight for his reputation," Corlys said with a smile.
"Really?" Rhaenys stared at the iron helmet, but no matter how she looked at it, she didn't like it. Why didn't she like it?
Ding ding!
The referee struck the gong and shouted, "Everyone, take your positions!"
Gawyn rode around on his horse and received cheers before returning to the center of the arena. The first test of a knight's duel is the charge. There was a fence across the middle of the arena, with the knights on each side.
"Gee!" The Rune Knight moved and pulled the reins of his warhorse. The fiery red warhorse shook its head and reluctantly walked to the side of the fence like a wild horse that had just been tamed.
"Boy, who are you?" Gawyn was arrogant and used to looking down on people.
The Rune Knight did not respond but adjusted his square helmet. A pair of violet eyes were hidden behind the narrow gap in the visor.
What a good opponent. I'm just afraid of disappointing Alicent. Aemon secretly complained.
He's back again. He was participating in the tournament under an assumed name. He suddenly remembered that he had not yet been knighted, so he decided to participate. It was a good opportunity to earn a reputation. He also wanted to show his uncle, the Sea Snake Corlys, and the others that they should respect him in his position rather than trying to control him. Otherwise, he would show them how to flip the chessboard.
"You, whoever you are, I'll see you kneeling and begging for mercy later." Gawyn felt despised and put on his helmet forcefully.
Aemon showed no expression. He stretched out his armored left hand, clenched it into a fist, extended his thumb, slowly turned his hand over, and poked his thumb downward. To the outside world, he looked like a mocking tin man.
"Go!" Gawyn, furious, charged on his horse.
"Whoa!" The fiery red warhorse was irritable. The reins around its neck were pulled, and it galloped off.
Two wooden spears pointed at each other and collided from far away.
Bang!
The heavy tin can shook slightly as its rider calmly rode the fiery red warhorse. Gawyn was stabbed in the chest and fell off his horse in fear. He fell to the ground with a plop and rolled backward several times.
"Ah!" Alicent witnessed it with her own eyes, covering her mouth and exclaiming.
Viserys glanced at Gawyn and softly comforted him: "It's okay. There will be exciting duels later."
"Hiss, damn guy." Gawyn grinned and climbed out of the muddy field. His armor protected him well and did not hurt him.
With a cry of exasperation, the servant quickly handed him a shield and a sword with a burning tower painted on it.
"Ser Gawyn requests an arms duel!" The referee's eyes lit up at the prospect of a big fight.
Bang!
Aemon dismounted and patted the fiery red warhorse's head. The warhorse immediately lowered its eyebrows, looking obedient, and trotted back to the preparation area dejectedly. As a dragon tamer, Aemon was also good at riding and training horses. He had found a good horse, albeit temporarily, and it had a very fierce temper.
"Sir, your sword."
A poorly dressed squire staggered onto the field, dragging a nearly two-meter-long giant sword with both hands. Aemon calmly took the rune giant sword and stretched out his hand to receive it. In addition to the sword, the armor, warhorse, and squire were all rented temporarily.
"Heavy sword?" Gawyn looked alert, and the long sword in his hand flexibly formed a sword flower.
Throughout history, only strong men have been able to use two-handed heavy swords. Those with great strength are usually not flexible enough. To defeat an opponent, it is best to use quick battle tactics or delaying tactics. In an instant, scenes of how to respond, engage in battle, and turn defeat into victory emerged in his mind, one by one.
Ding ding!
The gong sounded, and the competition continued.
Aemon looked at the cautious Gawyn and threw away the scabbard.
Buzz!
The rune giant sword was unsheathed. It was emerald green, like a giant tree, and the blades on both sides were cold and shiny. The entire audience held their breath and stared at the sword. Judging by the material, it seemed to be bronze. However, its appearance and luster were more impressive than the finest tempered steel.
"Is it Valyrian steel?" Viserys frowned and immediately denied it. "It's bronze. Valyrian steel is nobler."
The giant bronze sword engraved with runes is similar to the Dayne family's sword, Dawn, in Starfall City in Dorne. The Dayne family has a long history, and the best swordsman in the family is called the "Sword of the Morning." It is said that the family sword, Dawn, is milky white throughout and forged from the core of a meteorite from outer space. The sword cuts iron like mud and is indestructible; it is said to be no weaker than Valyrian steel weapons.
"Be careful, be careful, be careful." Gawyn approached little by little with his shield in a defensive posture.
Aemon looked up at the sky opposite him. White clouds drifted by, and a light wind blew. A topaz-colored dragon shadow appeared and disappeared, shuttling through the clouds.
With a turn of his right wrist, the nearly two-meter-long rune giant sword rotated and a green and white sword flower was lightly drawn. The sword hummed and stretched its blade straight forward.
Harwin's body froze, and he broke out in a cold sweat.
Boom!
The rune giant sword stabbed down fiercely, splashing a large puddle of mud and creating a crater in the ground.
"Gurgle~" Harwin's eyelids jumped, and he suddenly swallowed a mouthful of saliva.
A single-handed heavy sword drew a sword flower. What the hell is this?
His life was at stake. Gawyn shouted, "I admit it..."
Before he could say anything, a strong wind swept in. The hateful tin can took a step forward, and the rune giant sword chopped like a tidal wave. Gawyn was horrified and raised his shield to block.
Snap!
The oak shield shattered, barely blocking the attack.
The tin can took another step forward, and the rune giant sword cut horizontally from the right.
"Stop it!" Gawyn raised his sword to block, but the long sword flew out of his hand with a bang. His right arm trembled slightly, and the knuckles under his glove cracked open.
Rune Knight moved like a cold war machine, taking a third step and raising the rune giant sword with one hand to slash down horizontally and vertically.
"I..."
Gawyn's pupils trembled as the fear of death loomed over him. This sword would kill him.
At the critical moment, his knees gave out, and he dropped to one knee, raising his hands above his head to catch the sword.
Clang! Clang!
The rune giant sword whistled through the air, piercing the two large hands that had not yet closed. It floated vertically on the green cherry atop the helmet.
The Rune Knight stood still, looking down from above. Gawyn was scared to death, and his will to survive kicked in: "I give up!" He had to hurry; his pants were almost wet.
Clang, clang!
The referee shouted, "Rune Knight, win!"
Aemon's eyes were calm as he pulled the rune sword away from his opponent's head and casually turned around.
A rookie. Even though he had received knight training, he was, at best, an inexperienced rookie.
Gawyn managed to escape with his life. He pushed away the referee supporting him and ran away.
"Rune Knight!"
In an instant, the arena was filled with cheers, and countless men's eyes burned with fire. A heavily armored warrior holding a huge sword! How many men have fantasized about being him?
This is a duel with a one-handed sword.
If he held it with two hands on the battlefield, it would be so powerful that it would cut through anything.
Sorry.
Aemon said he didn't use one hand to show off; he would fall if he held the sword with both hands.
He took the time to look at the VIP seats. The uncle and Corlys were surprised and clapped. Harwin could serve as deputy commander of the capital garrison not only because he was the queen's brother. He had undergone ten years of hard training, which was more than enough to serve as a Kingsguard. However, in front of the Rune Knight, he couldn't even last one round. How could that not be shocking?
Aemon retracted his gaze and prepared for the next duel. In the preparation area, he saw the conflict between Alicent and Rhaenyra escalate.
After today, it's clear that the Black Party and the Green Party will definitely take shape. We can't slack off.
Ding ding!
The second jousting duel began, and the previous round's winner continued.
Aemon rode on a fiery red warhorse.
A tall, thin young man rode a black warhorse and wore the emblem of "blue twin towers on a gray background" on his chest. He was from the Frey family of the Riverlands.
The referee introduced the contestants: "The challenger is Ser Forrester, heir to the Frey family."
"Fight for the princess!" Forrester shouted devoutly, throwing down his steel visor.
Aemon was disgusted. He thought, Foolish Frey. One of Rhaenyra's famous lovers. When he was young, he was crazy about pursuing love and was ridiculed by other suitors for not knowing his own limits. After Rhaenyra got married, this guy married a woman from the Riverlands. She was described as sarcastic, mean, and having a bad personality.
However, the couple shared a common hobby. They both liked women. They were both Rhaenyra's lickers.
During the Dance of the Dragons, the Freys did their best to support the Black Party, and the couple competed to win the queen's favor.
"It turns out that there are two kinds of people sleeping in the same bed," Aemon muttered to himself.
Thinking of this, he felt a little embarrassed.
Ding ding!
The duel began, and both sides charged on horseback.
Bang!
The tin can shook violently, almost falling off the horse.
"Charge for the princess!" Forrester quickly regained his balance, switched to a wooden lance, and attacked again without hesitation. His riding skills were superb, to say the least.
The two sides charged three times, gaining the upper hand the first two times.
Bang!
In the third round, the tin can opened the middle door and stabbed the opponent's chest with the wooden lance. The tin can fell off the horse. Forrester was hit hard in the chest and flew backward off the horse.
Compared to the other players, he was unlucky. Aemon used 70% of his strength. His armor failed to protect him well. The hard breastplate was dented, and he fainted.
Ding ding!
The referee was shocked and rang the gong to announce the end of the match. A maester hurried to the stage and carried the man away on a stretcher.
Preliminary diagnosis: The man was fine but had several broken ribs.
Aemon got up from the ground, shook his heavy helmet, and spat the silver thread from the corner of his mouth. He admitted that his opponent was formidable.
"It's difficult to win based on riding skills alone. You have to fight hard."
Mounting the fiery red warhorse, he signaled the referee to arrange the match.
The third, fourth, fifth...
Aemon hid in the Rune Knight and swept through more than a dozen highly skilled or famous knights. Some were knocked down on horseback and others in two or three weapon duels. There was no skill, only strength.
One o'clock in the afternoon came around.
The referee's face flushed, and he shouted, "The Rune Knight has defeated his fifteenth opponent! Do you want to continue fighting!?"
The tin can was like an iron tower, and the square helmets nodded. No skin was broken and no breath was taken.
"Let's fight! Just treat it as a lesson for the knights."
The referee shouted excitedly: "Please welcome the Kingsguard who defeated three opponents: Ser Criston Cole!"
"Go!"
Cole rode out on a white horse with a solemn expression.
Aemon glanced at him and rode back to the side of the fence. Having defeated Daemon, Cole's strength is unmatched in this era. In the future, he is expected to be at the top of the pyramid. Now is a good time to weigh that in.
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