Robb's men closed in step by step, a crescent-shaped encirclement slowly taking form.
Lynn watched as the enemy drew closer.
He gave the final order.
"Move!"
"Die!" One of Robb's guards thrust his spear at the Xiaoqi Cavalryman. The latter blocked with his long blade, then kicked out, sending the heavily armored soldier flying.
In the chaos, a flying axe was hurled toward Lynn.
The axe traced a curved arc through the air, chopping straight for Lynn's head.
Shifu flashed forward, leaping out. His chainmail-clad arm shot up and caught it barehanded, then he twisted and flung it back with force.
The short-handled axe, forged from fine steel, left Shifu's hand even faster than before.
Robb twisted aside and narrowly dodged the thrown axe.
But the guard behind him was not so lucky.
The sharp axe split open his iron armor and buried itself in his chest. He staggered, head tilting back, and collapsed to the ground.
The two sides met at close quarters.
The clang of blades and the scrape of metal rang out, mixed with wails and groans of pain, forming the brutal symphony of battle.
Shifu charged straight in at the front.
Several of Robb's personal guards stabbed their spears toward his abdomen. Shifu twisted his body to evade; the spearheads scraped across the chainmail at his waist, producing a harsh metallic screech.
Seizing the moment, Shifu grabbed the spear shaft with his left hand as it passed his side and yanked it back. With his right hand, he drew his sword and slashed diagonally, cutting into the unprotected face of the nearest guard.
The guard screamed miserably, blood splattering the ground.
Four soldiers of the Xiaoqi Cavalry formed a basic defensive formation.
After advancing to Level 2 explosive troop deployment, all of their abilities had increased dramatically—formation coordination among them.
Their mission was simple: defend to the death, stopping anyone who tried to approach Lynn.
Ser Duncan had been standing guard in front of Lynn the entire time. Now his target was Robb, clad head to toe in bronze armor, looking like a bronze demon god descending upon the battlefield.
"Duncan, are you sure you want to block me?" Robb said coldly.
"I serve my lord."
The two locked eyes, each seeing unwavering resolve in the other.
Knight's sword against fine steel longsword—at first they tested one another, probing for openings. Soon enough, the fight escalated into a white-hot clash.
Robb possessed an absolute advantage in armor. The Royce family owned many ancestral bronze armors, engraved with magical runes said to protect the wearer from harm.
In truth, they were mainly reinforced with extra metal plates at vulnerable areas—the shoulders, elbows, knees, even the head—to enhance protection.
Even so, Lynn couldn't help thinking that being sealed inside such airtight metal armor would be suffocatingly uncomfortable.
Still, there was no denying its defensive effect.
Several times Duncan broke through cleanly, yet failed to inflict meaningful damage on the bronze armor.
The tall Duncan kicked Robb back. In the brief moment Robb stumbled, Duncan raised his knight's sword high and chased forward with a powerful downward slash.
Robb lost his balance for an instant midair, too late to bring his blade up to block.
The knight's sword came down with a piercing metallic shriek. At last, at a weak point in the bronze shoulder armor, a deep groove split open down the center of the protective plate, exposing the flesh beneath.
The sword's edge hovered just centimeters from Robb's shoulder.
Duncan clenched the hilt with both hands and pressed down with all his strength. The bronze knight Robb could do nothing but retreat.
If he stopped for even a moment, his shoulder would be carved open, a whole slab of flesh shaved away at the shoulder blade.
Robb kept retreating.
Step after step.
Until his back hit the wooden wall behind him.
Using the wall for leverage, he finally forced Duncan's sword aside—but what greeted him next was Duncan's long leg snapping out in a vicious flying kick.
The chainmail-clad boot slammed heavily into Robb's abdomen.
The bronze-armored figure crashed straight through the flimsy wooden wall, flying backward and landing hard on the street outside the tavern.
Wood splinters and lime dust exploded into the air.
The air instantly grew thick and murky.
Duncan was unable to pursue.
Several of Robb's personal guards rushed him from the side, tangling him up at the broken wall of the tavern.
Lynn's eyes lit up.
He drew his Valyrian short blade and shouted, "Fight our way out!"
The guard captain Hood charged first, leading the retainers as they forced open a path.
Lynn's men formed a defensive formation and broke toward the exit.
Soon, several of Robb's shield-and-spear guards attempted to punch into the formation—
—but the coordinated Xiaoqi Cavalry soldiers and Knight Shifu gave them no chance at all.
Lynn's group reached the shattered wall.
Of the eight fully armored personal guards Robb had brought, only five remained. Three of the retainers Lynn had brought into the city had fallen.
Thankfully, Duncan, Shifu, Guard Captain Hood, and Rodat were all still unharmed.
Ahead lay the open street. The heavy armor worn by Robb's guards severely limited their mobility.
Once out in the open—whether fleeing or fighting—it would no longer be as restrictive as the cramped space inside.
Lynn let out a breath.
Robb lay sprawled in the middle of the street. His shoulder injury was only a shallow cut, nothing serious, but the full-force kick from Duncan had left his abdomen aching so badly he couldn't rise for the moment.
The street was sparsely populated. Earlier, when Robb's guards had chased into the street and slaughtered sailors, most residents had wisely fled this place of trouble.
"My lord, should we kill him?" Hood asked warily, scanning their surroundings as he pointed at the fallen Robb.
In the distance, dogs began barking.
Under the glow of torches, a cavalry unit streaked forward like a band of fireflies, hooves pounding against the bluestone pavement with thunderous rhythm.
A black portcullis stood before a pale crescent moon. Purple banners edged in bronze, inlaid with runic crests, were emblazoned across their chests.
A cavalry detachment from a branch of the Royce family of Moon Gate Fortress arrived at speed.
The riders split Lynn's group and Robb's men cleanly into two opposing sides.
A Moon Gate knight dismounted and helped the fallen Robb to his feet. Gritting his teeth, Robb snarled, "Kill them for me."
The Moon Gate knight ignored the command. He lifted Robb onto his horse and shook his head, signaling that this was not his mission.
He reminded him, "Sir Robb, the ship to Storm's Rest Fortress is about to depart."
Robb tore off his bronze mask and hurled it to the ground, spitting viciously. He looked at Lynn, Duncan, and the others, baring a feral grin.
"We'll meet again."
Then he departed, taking the cavalry and his remaining guards with him.
———
The gates of Runestone City's lord's castle slowly opened. A formation of twenty knights in gleaming armor lined up in a single row.
Only after the lord of Runestone City, Count Yohn—mounted on a Dothraki warhorse—charged out of the castle did the knightly escort follow behind him.
On the second-floor balcony, Andar Royce, the heir of Runestone City and the count's eldest son, stood quietly watching the scene.
"My younger brother Robb… Father will bring him back, won't he?"
A hunched old man removed his cloak, revealing a pale face. He sneered softly. "Since when has a Royce heir been so afraid of losing his inheritance? Rest assured—Sir Robb will board the ship to Storm's Rest Fortress on time."
August 2nd trial recommendation. This book will receive its first recommendation. Recently revising the text—during the week of the 2nd, there will be three updates per day. I humbly ask all esteemed readers to offer sincere advice. The trial recommendation is very important.
...
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Here are a few fan-fic titles that I've recently uploaded on my Patreon:
"Game of Thrones: Dragon Prince"
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"The Game of Thrones Upgrade System"
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"Game of Thrones: Godzilla vs. Dragons"
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"Game of Thrones The Glory of a Knight"
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" Game of Thrones: From the Elden Lord to the Young Wolf"
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(End Chapter)